Sample records for optically activated high

The magneto-opticalactivity, namely the polarization conversion capabilities of high-index, non-absorbing, core-shell dielectric nanospheres is theoretically analyzed. We show that, in analogy with their plasmonic counterparts, the polarization conversion in resonant dielectric particles is linked to the amount of electromagnetic field probing the magneto-optical material in the system. However, in strong contrast with plasmon nanoparticles, due to the peculiar distribution of the internal fields in resonant dielectric spheres, the magneto-optical response is fully governed by the magnetic (dipolar and quadrupolar) resonances with little effect of the electric ones. PMID:27488903

The magneto-opticalactivity, namely the polarization conversion capabilities of high-index, non-absorbing, core-shell dielectric nanospheres is theoretically analyzed. We show that, in analogy with their plasmonic counterparts, the polarization conversion in resonant dielectric particles is linked to the amount of electromagnetic field probing the magneto-optical material in the system. However, in strong contrast with plasmon nanoparticles, due to the peculiar distribution of the internal fields in resonant dielectric spheres, the magneto-optical response is fully governed by the magnetic (dipolar and quadrupolar) resonances with little effect of the electric ones.

The magneto-opticalactivity, namely the polarization conversion capabilities of high-index, non-absorbing, core-shell dielectric nanospheres is theoretically analyzed. We show that, in analogy with their plasmonic counterparts, the polarization conversion in resonant dielectric particles is linked to the amount of electromagnetic field probing the magneto-optical material in the system. However, in strong contrast with plasmon nanoparticles, due to the peculiar distribution of the internal fields in resonant dielectric spheres, the magneto-optical response is fully governed by the magnetic (dipolar and quadrupolar) resonances with little effect of the electric ones. PMID:27488903

With an opticallyactive langasite (LGS) crystal as the electro-optic Q-switch, we demonstrate an efficient Q-switched laser with a repetition rate of 200 kHz. Based on the theoretical analysis of the interaction between opticalactivity and electro-optic property, the opticalactivity of the crystal has no influence on the birefringence during Q-switching if the quarter wave plate used was rotated to align with the polarization direction. With a Nd:LuVO4 crystal possessing a large emission cross-section and a short fluorescence lifetime as the gain medium, a stable LGS Q-switched laser was designed with average output power of 4.39 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 29.4% and with a minimum pulse width of 5.1 ns. This work represents the highest repetition rate achieved so far in a LGS Q-switched laser and it can provide a practical Q-switched laser with a tunable high repetition rates for many applications, such as materials processing, laser ranging, medicine, military applications, biomacromolecule materials, remote sensing, etc. PMID:27461819

With an opticallyactive langasite (LGS) crystal as the electro-optic Q-switch, we demonstrate an efficient Q-switched laser with a repetition rate of 200 kHz. Based on the theoretical analysis of the interaction between opticalactivity and electro-optic property, the opticalactivity of the crystal has no influence on the birefringence during Q-switching if the quarter wave plate used was rotated to align with the polarization direction. With a Nd:LuVO4 crystal possessing a large emission cross-section and a short fluorescence lifetime as the gain medium, a stable LGS Q-switched laser was designed with average output power of 4.39 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 29.4% and with a minimum pulse width of 5.1 ns. This work represents the highest repetition rate achieved so far in a LGS Q-switched laser and it can provide a practical Q-switched laser with a tunable high repetition rates for many applications, such as materials processing, laser ranging, medicine, military applications, biomacromolecule materials, remote sensing, etc.

With an opticallyactive langasite (LGS) crystal as the electro-optic Q-switch, we demonstrate an efficient Q-switched laser with a repetition rate of 200 kHz. Based on the theoretical analysis of the interaction between opticalactivity and electro-optic property, the opticalactivity of the crystal has no influence on the birefringence during Q-switching if the quarter wave plate used was rotated to align with the polarization direction. With a Nd:LuVO4 crystal possessing a large emission cross-section and a short fluorescence lifetime as the gain medium, a stable LGS Q-switched laser was designed with average output power of 4.39 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 29.4% and with a minimum pulse width of 5.1 ns. This work represents the highest repetition rate achieved so far in a LGS Q-switched laser and it can provide a practical Q-switched laser with a tunable high repetition rates for many applications, such as materials processing, laser ranging, medicine, military applications, biomacromolecule materials, remote sensing, etc. PMID:27461819

Evolution in high performance computing (HPC) leads to increasing demands on bandwidth, connectivity and flexibility. Activeoptical cables (AOC) are of special interest, combining the benefits of electrical connectors and optical transmission. Optimization and development of AOC solutions requires enhancements concerning different technology barriers. Area and volume occupied by connectors is of special interest within HPC networks. This led to the development of a 12x AOC for the mini-HT connector creating the densest AOC available. In order to integrate electrical optical conversion into a module not higher than 3 mm, a new concept of coupling fibers to VCSELs or photodiodes had to be developed. This unique concept is based on a direct replication process of an integrated fiber coupler consisting of a 90° light deflecting and focusing mirror, a fiber guiding structure, and a fiber funnel. The integrated fiber coupler is directly replicated on top of active components, reducing the distance between active components and fibers to a minimum, thus providing a highly efficient light coupling. As AOC prototype, multi-chipmodules (MCM) including the complete electrical to optical conversion for send and receive connected by two 12x fiber ribbons have been developed. The paper presents the integrated fiber coupling technique and also design and measurement data of the prototype.

Gallium arsenide high-temperature devices were fabricated and assembled into an opticallyactivated pulse-width-modulated power control for a torque motor typical of the kinds used in jet engine actuators. A bipolar heterojunction phototransistor with gallium aluminum arsenide emitter/window, a gallium arsenide junction field-effect power transistor and a gallium arsenide transient protection diode were designed and fabricated. A high-temperature fiber optic/phototransistor coupling scheme was implemented. The devices assembled into the demonstrator were successfully tested at 250 C, proving the feasibility of actuator-located switching of control power using optical signals transmitted by fibers. Assessments of the efficiency and technical merits were made for extension of this high-temperature technology to local conversion of optical power to electrical power and its control at levels useful for driving actuators. Optical power sources included in the comparisons were an infrared light-emitting diode, an injection laser diode, tungsten-halogen lamps and arc lamps. Optical-to-electrical power conversion was limited to photovoltaics located at the actuator. Impedance matching of the photovoltaic array to the load was considered over the full temperature range, -55 C to 260 C. Loss of photovoltaic efficiency at higher temperatures was taken into account. Serious losses in efficiency are: (1) in the optical source and the cooling which they may require in the assumed 125 C ambient, (2) in the decreased conversion efficiency of the gallium arsenide photovoltaic at 260 C, and (3) in impedance matching. Practical systems require improvements in these areas.

An activeoptical zoom system changes the magnification (or effective focal length) of an optical imaging system by utilizing two or more activeoptics in a conventional optical system. The system can create relatively large changes in system magnification with very small changes in the focal lengths of individual active elements by leveraging the optical power of the conventional optical elements (e.g., passive lenses and mirrors) surrounding the activeoptics. The activeoptics serve primarily as variable focal-length lenses or mirrors, although adding other aberrations enables increased utility. The activeoptics can either be LC SLMs, used in a transmissive optical zoom system, or DMs, used in a reflective optical zoom system. By appropriately designing the optical system, the variable focal-length lenses or mirrors can provide the flexibility necessary to change the overall system focal length (i.e., effective focal length), and therefore magnification, that is normally accomplished with mechanical motion in conventional zoom lenses. The activeoptics can provide additional flexibility by allowing magnification to occur anywhere within the FOV of the system, not just on-axis as in a conventional system.

Previous Spitzer reverberation monitoring projects looking for UV/optical light absorbed and re-emitted in the IR by dust have been limited to very low luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN) that could potentially show reverberation within a single cycle (~1 year). Cycle 11-12's two year baseline allowed for the reverberation mapping of 17 high luminosity quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project. By combining ground based monitoring from Pan-STARRS, CFHT, and Steward Observatory telescopes with Spitzer data we have for the first time detected dust reverberation in quasars. We propose to continue this project to capitalize on the continuing optical motnoring from the ground and to increase the confidence in the detected lags. Additionally, the Call for Proposals asks for up to 1000 hours of observations in the Spitzer CVZ to accommodate battery charging needs. We propose to add to our quasar sample five lower luminosity Seyfert galaxies from the Pan-STARRS ground based optical survey that are in the Spitzer CVZ, which will increase the luminosity range of AGN we are studying and, combined with additional ground based observatories, provide for a continuous monitoring campaign lasting 2 years and thus provide the most detailed study of dust around AGN to date.

We demonstrate numerically and experimentally chiral metamaterials (MTMs) based on gammadion-bilayer cross-wires that uniaxially create giant opticalactivity and tunable circular dichroism as a result of the dynamic design. In addition, the suggested structure gives high negative refractive index due to the large chirality in order to obtain an efficient polarization converter. We also present a numerical analysis in order to show the additional features of the proposed chiral MTM in detail. Therefore, a MTM sensor application of the proposed chiral MTM is introduced and discussed. The presented chiral designs offer a much simpler geometry and more efficient outlines. The experimental results are in a good agreement with the numerical simulation. It can be seen from the results that, the suggested chiral MTM can be used as a polarization converter, sensor, etc. for several frequency regimes.

Direct imaging of exoplanets is key to fully understanding these systems through spectroscopy and astrometry. The primary impediment to direct imaging of exoplanets is the extremely high brightness ratio between the planet and its parent star. Direct imaging requires a technique for contrast suppression, which include coronagraphs, and nulling interferometers. Deformable mirrors (DMs) are essential to both of these techniques. With space missions in mind, Microscale is developing a novel DM with direct integration of DM and its electronic control functions in a single small envelope. The Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is key to the shrinking of the electronic control functions to a size compatible with direct integration with the DM. Through a NASA SBIR project, Microscale, with JPL oversight, has successfully demonstrated a unique deformable mirror (DM) driver ASIC prototype based on an ultra-low power switch architecture. Microscale calls this the Switch-Mode ASIC, or SM-ASIC, and has characterized it for a key set of performance parameters, and has tested its operation with a variety of actuator loads, such as piezo stack and unimorph, and over a wide temperature range. These tests show the SM-ASIC's capability of supporting activeoptics in correcting aberrations of a telescope in space. Microscale has also developed DMs to go with the SM-ASIC driver. The latest DM version produced uses small piezo stack elements in an 8x8 array, bonded to a novel silicon facesheet structure fabricated monolithically into a polished mirror on one side and mechanical linkage posts that connect to the piezoelectric stack actuators on the other. In this Supporting Technology proposal we propose to further develop the ASIC-DM and have assembled a very capable team to do so. It will be led by JPL, which has considerable expertise with DMs used in Adaptive Optics systems, with high-contrast imaging systems for exoplanet missions, and with designing DM driver

The longevity of high gain GaAs photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) has been extended to over 100 million pulses. This was achieved by improving the ohmic contacts through the incorporation of a doped layer that is very effective in the suppression of filament formation, alleviating current crowding. Damage-free operation is now possible with virtually infinite expected lifetime at much higher current levels than before. The inherent damage-free current capacity of the bulk GaAs itself depends on the thickness of the doped layers and is at least 100A for a dopant diffusion depth of 4pm. The contact metal has a different damage mechanism and the threshold for damage ({approx}40A) is not further improved beyond a dopant diffusion depth of about 2{micro}m. In a diffusion-doped contact switch, the switching performance is not degraded when contact metal erosion occurs, unlike a switch with conventional contacts. This paper will compare thermal diffusion and epitaxial growth as approaches to doping the contacts. These techniques will be contrasted in terms of the fabrication issues and device characteristics.

The longevity of high gain GaAs photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) has been extended to over 50 million pulses. This was achieved by improving the ohmic contacts through the incorporation of a doped layer beneath the PCSS contacts which is very effective in the suppression of filament formation and alleviating current crowding to improve the longevity of PCSS. Virtually indefinite, damage-free operation is now possible at much higher current levels than before. The inherent damage-free current capacity of the switch depends on the thickness of the doped layers and is at least 100A for a dopant diffusion depth of 4pm. The contact metal has a different damage mechanism and the threshold for damage ({approximately}40A) is not further improved beyond a dopant diffusion depth of about 2{micro}m. In a diffusion-doped contact switch, the switching performance is not degraded when contact metal erosion occurs. This paper will compare thermal diffusion and epitaxial growth as approaches to doping the contacts. These techniques will be contrasted in terms of the fabrication issues and device characteristics.

The main goal of our research is to develop new types of technologically important opticallyactive quantum dot (QD) based materials, study their properties and explore their biological applications. For the first time chiral II-VI QDs have been prepared by us using microwave induced heating with the racemic (Rac), D- and L-enantiomeric forms of penicillamine as stabilisers. Circular dichroism (CD) studies of these QDs have shown that D- and L-penicillamine stabilised particles produced mirror image CD spectra, while the particles prepared with a Rac mixture showed only a weak signal. It was also demonstrated that these QDs show very broad emission bands between 400 and 700 nm due to defects or trap states on the surfaces of the nanocrystals. These QDs have demonstrated highly specific chiral recognition of various biological species including aminoacids. The utilisation of chiral stabilisers also allowed the preparation of new water soluble white emitting CdS nano-tetrapods, which demonstrated circular dichroism in the band-edge region of the spectrum. Biological testing of chiral CdS nanotetrapods displayed a chiral bias for an uptake of the D- penicillamine stabilised nano-tetrapods by cancer cells. It is expected that this research will open new horizons in the chemistry of chiral nanomaterials and their application in nanobiotechnology, medicine and optical chemo- and bio-sensing.

We present a novel concept of a magnetically tunable plasmonic crystal based on the excitation of Fano lattice surface modes in periodic arrays of magnetic and optically anisotropic nanoantennas. We show how coherent diffractive far-field coupling between elliptical nickel nanoantennas is governed by the two in-plane, orthogonal and spectrally detuned plasmonic responses of the individual building block, one directly induced by the incident radiation and the other induced by the application of an external magnetic field. The consequent excitation of magnetic field-induced Fano lattice surface modes leads to highly tunable and amplified magneto-optical effects as compared to a continuous film or metasurfaces made of disordered noninteracting magnetoplasmonic anisotropic nanoantennas. The concepts presented here can be exploited to design novel magnetoplasmonic sensors based on coupled localized plasmonic resonances, and nanoscale metamaterials for precise control and magnetically driven tunability of light polarization states. PMID:26967047

This overview will discuss core network technology and cost trade-offs inherent in choosing between "analog" architectures with highoptical transparency, and ones heavily dependent on frequent "digital" signal regeneration. The exact balance will be related to the specific technology choices in each area outlined above, as well as the network needs such as node geographic spread, physical connectivity patterns, and demand loading. Over the course of a decade, optical networks have evolved from simple single-channel SONET regenerator-based links to multi-span multi-channel optically amplified ultra-long haul systems, fueled by high demand for bandwidth at reduced cost. In general, the cost of a well-designed high capacity system is dominated by the number of optical to electrical (OE) and electrical to optical (EO) conversions required. As the reach and channel capacity of the transport systems continued to increase, it became necessary to improve the granularity of the demand connections by introducing (optical add/drop multiplexers) OADMs. Thus, if a node requires only small demand connectivity, most of the optical channels are expressed through without regeneration (OEO). The network costs are correspondingly reduced, partially balanced by the increased cost of the OADM nodes. Lately, the industry has been aggressively pursuing a natural extension of this philosophy towards all-optical "analog" core networks, with each demand touching electrical digital circuitry only at the in/egress nodes. This is expected to produce a substantial elimination of OEO costs, increase in network capacity, and a notionally simpler operation and service turn-up. At the same time, such optical "analog" network requires a large amount of complicated hardware and software for monitoring and manipulating high bit rate optical signals. New and more complex modulation formats that provide resiliency to both optical noise and nonlinear propagation effects are important for extended

Metal-dielectric Au-Co-SiO(2) magnetoplasmonic nanodisks are found to exhibit large magneto-opticalactivity and low optical losses. The internal architecture of the nanodisks is such that, in resonant conditions, the electromagnetic field undertakes a particular spatial distribution. This makes it possible to maximize the electromagnetic field at the magneto-opticallyactive layers and minimize it in the other, optically lossy ones. PMID:22213149

Biocatalytic asymmetric synthesis has been widely used for preparation of opticallyactive chiral alcohols as the important intermediates and precursors of active pharmaceutical ingredients. However, the available whole-cell system involving anti-Prelog specific alcohol dehydrogenase is yet limited. A recombinant Escherichia coli system expressing anti-Prelog stereospecific alcohol dehydrogenase from Candida parapsilosis was established as a whole-cell system for catalyzing asymmetric reduction of aryl ketones to anti-Prelog configured alcohols. Using 2-hydroxyacetophenone as the substrate, reaction factors including pH, cell status, and substrate concentration had obvious impacts on the outcome of whole-cell biocatalysis, and xylose was found to be an available auxiliary substrate for intracellular cofactor regeneration, by which (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol was achieved with an optical purity of 97%e.e. and yield of 89% under the substrate concentration of 5 g/L. Additionally, the feasibility of the recombinant cells toward different aryl ketones was investigated, and most of the corresponding chiral alcohol products were obtained with an optical purity over 95%e.e. Therefore, the whole-cell system involving recombinant stereospecific alcohol dehydrogenase was constructed as an efficient biocatalyst for highly enantioselective anti-Prelog synthesis of opticallyactive aryl alcohols and would be promising in the pharmaceutical industry. PMID:26178068

Accurate optical reporting of electrical activity in genetically defined neuronal populations is a long-standing goal in neuroscience. We developed Accelerated Sensor of Action Potentials 1 (ASAP1), a voltage sensor design in which a circularly permuted green fluorescent protein is inserted in an extracellular loop of a voltage-sensing domain, rendering fluorescence responsive to membrane potential. ASAP1 demonstrated on and off kinetics of ∼ 2 ms, reliably detected single action potentials and subthreshold potential changes, and tracked trains of action potential waveforms up to 200 Hz in single trials. With a favorable combination of brightness, dynamic range and speed, ASAP1 enables continuous monitoring of membrane potential in neurons at kilohertz frame rates using standard epifluorescence microscopy. PMID:24755780

Optical designs for astronomy involve implementation of activeoptics and adaptive optics from X-ray to the infrared. Developments and results of activeoptics methods for telescopes, spectrographs and coronagraph planet finders are presented. The high accuracy and remarkable smoothness of surfaces generated by activeoptics methods also allow elaborating new optical design types with high aspheric and/or non-axisymmetric surfaces. Depending on the goal and performance requested for a deformable optical surface analytical investigations are carried out with one of the various facets of elasticity theory: small deformation thin plate theory, large deformation thin plate theory, shallow spherical shell theory, weakly conical shell theory. The resulting thickness distribution and associated bending force boundaries can be refined further with finite element analysis.

The definition phase of a scientific study of active regions on the sun by balloon flight of a former Spacelab instrument, the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter (SOUP) is described. SOUP is an optical telescope with image stabilization, tunable filter and various cameras. After the flight phase of the program was cancelled due to budgetary problems, scientific and engineering studies relevant to future balloon experiments of this type were completed. High resolution observations of the sun were obtained using SOUP components at the Swedish Solar Observatory in the Canary Islands. These were analyzed and published in studies of solar magnetic fields and active regions. In addition, testing of low-voltage piezoelectric transducers was performed, which showed they were appropriate for use in image stabilization on a balloon.

The limitations of conventional extracellular recording and intracellular recording make high-resolution multisite recording of plant bioelectrical activity in situ challenging. By combining a cooled charge-coupled device camera with a voltage-sensitive dye, we recorded the action potentials in the stem of Helianthus annuus and variation potentials at multiple sites simultaneously with high spatial resolution. The method of signal processing using coherence analysis was used to determine the synchronization of the selected signals. Our results provide direct visualization of the phloem, which is the distribution region of the electrical activities in the stem and leaf of H. annuus, and verify that the phloem is the main action potential transmission route in the stems of higher plants. Finally, the method of optical recording offers a unique opportunity to map the dynamic bioelectrical activity and provides an insight into the mechanisms of long-distance electrical signal transmission in higher plants. PMID:26333536

The limitations of conventional extracellular recording and intracellular recording make high-resolution multisite recording of plant bioelectrical activity in situ challenging. By combining a cooled charge-coupled device camera with a voltage-sensitive dye, we recorded the action potentials in the stem of Helianthus annuus and variation potentials at multiple sites simultaneously with high spatial resolution. The method of signal processing using coherence analysis was used to determine the synchronization of the selected signals. Our results provide direct visualization of the phloem, which is the distribution region of the electrical activities in the stem and leaf of H. annuus, and verify that the phloem is the main action potential transmission route in the stems of higher plants. Finally, the method of optical recording offers a unique opportunity to map the dynamic bioelectrical activity and provides an insight into the mechanisms of long-distance electrical signal transmission in higher plants. PMID:26333536

HyperSpectral Imagery (HSI) of the coastal zone often focuses on the estimation of bathymetry. However, the estimation of bathymetry requires knowledge, or the simultaneous solution, of water column Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) and bottom reflectance. The numerical solution to the simultaneous set of equations for bathymetry, IOPs, and bottom reflectance places high demands on the spectral quality, calibration, atmospheric correction, and Signal-to-Noise (SNR) of the HSI data stream. In October of 2002, a joint FERI/NRL/NAVO/USACE HSI/LIDAR experiment was conducted off of Looe Key, FL. This experiment yielded high quality HSI data at a 2 m resolution and bathymetric LIDAR data at a 4 m resolution. The joint data set allowed for the advancement and validation of a previously generated Look-Up-Table (LUT) approach to the simultaneous retrieval of bathymetry, IOPs, and bottom type. Bathymetric differences between the two techniques were normally distributed around a 0 mean, with the exception of two peaks. One peak related to a mechanical problem in the LIDAR detector mirrors that causes errors on the edges of the LIDAR flight lines. The other significant difference occurred in a single geographic area (Hawk Channel) suggesting an incomplete IOP or bottom reflectance description in the LUT data base. In addition, benthic habitat data from NOAA"s National Ocean Service (NOS) and the Florida Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) provided validation data for the estimation of bottom type. Preliminary analyses of the bottom type estimation suggest that the best retrievals are for seagrass bottoms. One source of the potential difficulties may be that the LUT database was generated from a more pristine location (Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas). It is expected that fusing the HSI/LIDAR data streams should reduce the errors in bottom typing and IOP estimation.

Ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles have gained widespread applications in diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound. Animal studies of bioeffects induced by ultrasound-activated microbubbles have demonstrated that microbubbles can cause microvessel damage. Much scientific attention has been attracted to such microvascular bioeffects, not only because of the related safety concerns, but also because of the potential useful applications of microbubbles in the intravascular delivery of drugs and genetic materials into target tissues. A significant challenge in using microbubbles in medical ultrasound is the lack of knowledge about how the microbubbles behave in blood vessels when exposed to ultrasound and how their interactions with ultrasound cause vascular damage. Although extensive studies were performed in the past to study the dynamics of microbubbles, most of those studies were performed in vitro and did not directly address the clinical environment in which microbubbles are injected into blood vessels. In this thesis work, a synchronized optical-acoustic system was set up for ultrahigh speed imaging of insonated microbubbles in microvessels. The recorded images revealed the formation of microjets penetrating the microbubbles, as well as vessel distention (motion outward against the surrounding tissue) and vessel invagination (motion inward toward the lumen) caused by the expansion and collapse of the microbubbles, respectively. Contrary to current paradigms which propose that microbubbles damage vessels either by distending them or by forming liquid jets impinging on them, microbubbles translation and jetting were in the direction away from the nearest vessel wall; furthermore, invagination typically exceeded distention in arterioles and venules. Vessel invagination was found to be associated with vascular damage. These studies suggest that vessel invagination may be a newly discovered potential mechanism for vascular damage by ultrasound-activated microbubbles

A scanning apparatus is provided to obtain automated, rapid and sensitive scanning of substrate fluorescence, optical density or phosphorescence. The scanner uses a constant path length optical train, which enables the combination of a moving beam for high speed scanning with phase-sensitive detection for noise reduction, comprising a light source, a scanning mirror to receive light from the light source and sweep it across a steering mirror, a steering mirror to receive light from the scanning mirror and reflect it to the substrate, whereby it is swept across the substrate along a scan arc, and a photodetector to receive emitted or scattered light from the substrate, wherein the optical path length from the light source to the photodetector is substantially constant throughout the sweep across the substrate. The optical train can further include a waveguide or mirror to collect emitted or scattered light from the substrate and direct it to the photodetector. For phase-sensitive detection the light source is intensity modulated and the detector is connected to phase-sensitive detection electronics. A scanner using a substrate translator is also provided. For two dimensional imaging the substrate is translated in one dimension while the scanning mirror scans the beam in a second dimension. For a high throughput scanner, stacks of substrates are loaded onto a conveyor belt from a tray feeder.

Bacterial resistance is a major problem in the modern world, stemming in part from the build-up of antibiotics in the environment. Novel molecular approaches that enable an externally triggered increase in antibiotic activity with high spatiotemporal resolution and auto-inactivation are highly desirable. Here we report a responsive, broad-spectrum, antibacterial agent that can be temporally activated with light, whereupon it auto-inactivates on the scale of hours. The use of such a ‘smart’ antibiotic might prevent the build-up of active antimicrobial material in the environment. Reversible optical control over active drug concentration enables us to obtain pharmacodynamic information. Precisely localized control of activity is achieved, allowing the growth of bacteria to be confined to defined patterns, which has potential for the development of treatments that avoid interference with the endogenous microbial population in other parts of the organism.

Technical studies of the feasibility of balloon flights of the former Spacelab instrument, the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter, with a modern charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, to study the structure and evolution of solar active regions at high resolution, are reviewed. In particular, different CCD cameras were used at ground-based solar observatories with the SOUP filter, to evaluate their performance and collect high resolution images. High resolution movies of the photosphere and chromosphere were successfully obtained using four different CCD cameras. Some of this data was collected in coordinated observations with the Yohkoh satellite during May-July, 1992, and they are being analyzed scientifically along with simultaneous X-ray observations.

This grant was to support optical studies of comets close enough to the sun to be outgassing. The main focus of the observations was drawn to the two extraordinarily bright comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, but other active comets were also studied in detail during the period of funding. Major findings (all fully published) under this grant include: (1) Combined optical and submillimeter observations of the comet/Centaur P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 were used to study the nature of mass loss from this object. The submillimeter observations show directly that the optically prominent dust coma is ejected by the sublimation of carbon monoxide. Simultaneous optical-submillimeter observations allowed us to test earlier determinations of the dust mass loss rate. (2) We modelled the rotation of cometary nuclei using time-resolved images of dust jets as the primary constraint. (3) We obtained broad-band optical images of several comets for which we subsequently attempted submillimeter observations, in order to test and update the cometary ephemerides. (4) Broad-band continuum images of a set of weakly active comets and, apparently, inactive asteroids were obtained in BVRI using the University of Hawaii 2.2-m telescope. These images were taken in support of a program to test the paradigm that many near-Earth asteroids might be dead or dormant comets. We measured coma vs. nucleus colors in active comets (finding that coma particle scattering is different from, and cannot be simply related to, nucleus color). We obtained spectroscopic observations of weakly active comets and other small bodies using the HIRES spectrograph on the Keck 10-m telescope. These observation place sensitive limits to outgassing from these bodies, aided by the high (40,000) spectral resolution of HIRES.

A low-loss 4-ch activeoptical interconnect (AOI) enabling passive alignment was proposed and built resorting to a transmitter (Tx) incorporating a red 680-nm VCSEL, which is linked to a receiver (Rx) module via a partially chlorinated ribbon POF. The POF was observed to exhibit an extremely low loss of ~0.24 dB/m at λ = 680 nm, in comparison to ~1.29 dB/m at λ = 850 nm, and a large numerical aperture of ~0.42. Both the Tx and Rx, which taps into a beam router based on collimated beam optics involving a pair of spherical lenses, were meant to be substantially alignment tolerant and compact. The achieved tolerance for the constructed modules was beyond 40 μm in terms of the positioning of VCSEL and photodetector. The proposed AOI was completed by linking the Tx with the Rx via a 3-m long ribbon POF, incurring a transmission loss of as small as 3.2 dB. The AOI was practically assessed in terms of a high-speed data transmission over a wide range of temperatures and then exploited to convey full HD video signals. PMID:24921299

As efforts to create accurate yet computationally efficient estimation models for clear-sky photosynthetically active solar radiation (PAR) have succeeded, the range of practical engineering applications where these models can be successfully applied has increased. This paper describes a novel application of the REST2 radiative model (developed by the second author) in optical engineering. The PAR predictions in this application are used to predict the possible range of instantaneous irradiances that could impinge on the image plane of a stationary video camera designed to image license plates on moving vehicles. The overall spectral response of the camera (including lens and optical filters) is similar to the 400-700 nm PAR range, thereby making PAR irradiance (rather than luminance) predictions most suitable for this application. The accuracy of the REST2 irradiance predictions for horizontal surfaces, coupled with another radiative model to obtain irradiances on vertical surfaces, and to standard optical image formation models, enable setting the dynamic range controls of the camera to ensure that the license plate images are legible (unsaturated with adequate contrast) regardless of the time of day, sky condition, or vehicle speed. A brief description of how these radiative models are utilized as part of the camera control algorithm is provided. Several comparisons of the irradiance predictions derived from the radiative model versus actual PAR measurements under varying sky conditions with three Licor sensors (one horizontal and two vertical) have been made and showed good agreement. Various camera-to-plate geometries and compass headings have been considered in these comparisons. Time-lapse sequences of license plate images taken with the camera under various sky conditions over a 30-day period are also analyzed. They demonstrate the success of the approach at creating legible plate images under highly variable lighting, which is the main goal of this

An optical mount, which directs a laser beam to a point by controlling the position of a light-transmitting optic, is stiffened so that a lowest resonant frequency of the mount is approximately one kilohertz. The optical mount, which is cylindrically-shaped, positions the optic by individually moving a plurality of carriages which are positioned longitudinally within a sidewall of the mount. The optical mount is stiffened by allowing each carriage, which is attached to the optic, to move only in a direction which is substantially parallel to a center axis of the optic. The carriage is limited to an axial movement by flexures or linear bearings which connect the carriage to the mount. The carriage is moved by a piezoelectric transducer. By limiting the carriage to axial movement, the optic can be kinematically clamped to a carriage.

An optical mount, which directs a laser beam to a point by controlling the position of a light-transmitting optic, is stiffened so that a lowest resonant frequency of the mount is approximately one kilohertz. The optical mount, which is cylindrically-shaped, positions the optic by individually moving a plurality of carriages which are positioned longitudinally within a sidewall of the mount. The optical mount is stiffened by allowing each carriage, which is attached to the optic, to move only in a direction which is substantially parallel to a center axis of the optic. The carriage is limited to an axial movement by flexures or linear bearings which connect the carriage to the mount. The carriage is moved by a piezoelectric transducer. By limiting the carriage to axial movement, the optic can be kinematically clamped to a carriage. 5 figs.

One of the most widely used functional brain mapping tools is blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This method has contributed to new understandings of the functional roles of different areas in the human brain. However, its ability to map cerebral cortex at high spatial (submillimeter) resolution is still unknown. Other methods such as single- and multiunit electrophysiology and intrinsic signal optical imaging have revealed submillimeter resolution of sensory topography and cortical columnar activations. However, they are limited either by spatial scale (electrophysiology characterizes only local groups of neurons) or by the inability to monitor deep structures in the brain (i.e., cortical regions buried in sulci or subcortical structures). A method that could monitor all regions of the brain at high spatial resolution would be ideal. This capacity would open the doors to investigating, for example, how networks of cerebral cortical columns relate to or produce behavior. In this article we demonstrate that, without benefit of contrast agents, at a magnetic field strength of 9.4 tesla, BOLD fMRI can reveal millimeter-sized topographic maps of digit representation in the somatosensory cortex of the anesthetized squirrel monkey. Furthermore, by mapping the “funneling illusion,” it is possible to detect even submillimeter shifts in activation in the cortex. Our data suggest that at high magnetic field strength, the positive BOLD signal can be used to reveal high spatial resolution maps of brain activity, a finding that weakens previous notions about the ultimate spatial specificity of the positive BOLD signal. PMID:18172338

A high resolution, gateable, Scintillating Fiber Target (SFT) has been developed for Fermilab Experiment E687 to study charm and beauty particle production and decay in high energy photon interactions. The detector consists of a scintillating target of either GS1 Cerium glass fibers or polystyrene fibers of 29..mu..m cross section, a multi-stage image intensifier and an intensified CCD or SIT/VIDICON camera system used in conjunction with a custom-built video data acquisition system.

USC-OSA is a student chapter whose objective is to bring Optics knowledge closer to the non-optics community. The activity developed at the Hospital school was one of the most important last year. It was consisted in a few Optics experiments and workshops with hospitalized children of different ages and pathologies. The experiments had to be adapted to their physical conditions with the aim of everyone could participate. We think this activity has several benefits including spreading Optics through children meanwhile they have fun and forget their illness for a while.

A high resolution, gateable, Scintillating Fiber Target (SFT) has been developed for Fermilab Experiment E687 to study charm and beauty particle production and decay in high energy photon interactions. The detector consists of a scintillating target of either GS1 Cerium glass fibers or polystyrene fibers of 29..mu..m cross section, a multi-stage image intensifier and an intensified CCD or SIT/VIDICON camera system used in conjunction with a custom-built video data acquisition system. 7 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.

Call for Papers: High Availability in Optical Networks Submission Deadline: 1 January 2006 The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) is soliciting papers for a feature Issue pertaining to all aspects of reliable components and systems for optical networks and concepts, techniques, and experience leading to high availability of services provided by optical networks. Most nations now recognize that telecommunications in all its forms -- including voice, Internet, video, and so on -- are "critical infrastructure" for the society, commerce, government, and education. Yet all these services and applications are almost completely dependent on optical networks for their realization. "Always on" or apparently unbreakable communications connectivity is the expectation from most users and for some services is the actual requirement as well. Achieving the desired level of availability of services, and doing so with some elegance and efficiency, is a meritorious goal for current researchers. This requires development and use of high-reliability components and subsystems, but also concepts for active reconfiguration and capacity planning leading to high availability of service through unseen fast-acting survivability mechanisms. The feature issue is also intended to reflect some of the most important current directions and objectives in optical networking research, which include the aspects of integrated design and operation of multilevel survivability and realization of multiple Quality-of-Protection service classes. Dynamic survivable service provisioning, or batch re-provisioning is an important current theme, as well as methods that achieve high availability at far less investment in spare capacity than required by brute force service path duplication or 100% redundant rings, which is still the surprisingly prevalent practice. Papers of several types are envisioned in the feature issue, including outlook and forecasting types of treatments, optimization and analysis, new

The longevity of high gain GaAs photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) has been extended to well over 10 million pulses by reducing the density of carriers at the semiconductor to metal interface. This was achieved by reducing the density in the vertical and lateral directions. The first was achieved by varying the spatial distribution of the trigger light thereby widening the current filaments that are characteristic of the high gain switches. The authors reduced the carrier density in the vertical direction by using ion implantation. These results were obtained for currents of about 10 A, current duration of 3.5 ns, and switched voltage of {approximately}2 kV. At currents of {approximately}70 A, the switches last for 0.6 million pulses. In order to improve the performance at high currents new processes such as deep diffusion and epitaxial growth of contacts are being pursued. To guide this effort the authors measured a carrier density of 6 x 10{sup 18} electrons (or holes)/cm{sup 3} in filaments that carry a current of 5 A.

The longevity of high gain GaAs photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) has been extended to over 100 million pulses at 23A, and over 100 pulses at 1kA. This is achieved by improving the ohmic contacts by doping the semi-insulating GaAs underneath the metal, and by achieving a more uniform distribution of contact wear across the entire switch by distributing the trigger light to form multiple filaments. This paper will compare various approaches to doping the contacts, including ion implantation, thermal diffusion, and epitaxial growth. The device characterization also includes examination of the filament behavior using open-shutter, infra-red imaging during high gain switching. These techniques provide information on the filament carrier densities as well as the influence that the different contact structures and trigger light distributions have on the distribution of the current in the devices. This information is guiding the continuing refinement of contact structures and geometries for further improvements in switch longevity.

We propose the mechanism of an active Faraday optical clock, and experimentally demonstrate an active Faraday optical frequency standard based on narrow bandwidth Faraday atomic filter by the method of velocity-selective optical pumping of cesium vapor. The center frequency of the active Faraday optical frequency standard is determined by the cesium 6 (2)S(1/2) F=4 to 6 (2)P(3/2) F'=4 and 5 crossover transition line. The optical heterodyne beat between two similar independent setups shows that the frequency linewidth reaches 281(23) Hz, which is 1.9×10(4) times smaller than the natural linewidth of the cesium 852-nm transition line. The maximum emitted light power reaches 75 μW. The active Faraday optical frequency standard reported here has advantages of narrow linewidth and reduced cavity pulling, which can readily be extended to other atomic transition lines of alkali and alkaline-earth metal atoms trapped in optical lattices at magic wavelengths, making it useful for new generation of optical atomic clocks. PMID:25361349

Using the sol-gel process, we synthesized zirconia/silica matrices doped with different organic dyes (rhodamine 640, ...). These samples were used to perform optical Kerr effect experiments with sequences of ultrashort light pulses (100 fs, 620 nm, 1 (mu) J focused on 50 micrometers diameter) to induce refractive index changes. A permanent birefringence around 7 X 10-5 was obtained. By changing the direction of the polarization of the excitation pulses, we were able to locally control the directions of the neutral axes. We thus demonstrated the possibility of using this media as an all optical memory matrix and such doped xerogels will subsequently be referred to as OPTOGELS. We interpret our results as the possibility of locally controlling the orientation of the doping molecules encaged in the solid host matrix. The memory effect is probably due to links of hydrogen bond type between the organic molecules and the pore surface which prevent thermal reorientation. The electric field of the optical excitation pulses exerts a torque on the molecules. If this torque is greater than the energy linking the molecules to the pore surface, the molecules are temporarily released and aligned in the direction of the pulse polarization. Based on this interpretation, we have developed a model to explain the evolution of the birefringence as a function of the number of excitation pulses.

Coupling of optical data-processing devices with microelectronics, telecocommunication and sensory functions, is among the biggest challenges in molecular electronics. Intensive research is going on to find suitable nonlinear optical materials that could meet the demanding requirements of optoelectronic applications, especially regarding high sensitivity and stability. In addition to inorganic and organic crystals, biological molecules have also been considered for use in integrated optics, among which the bacterial chromoprotein, bacteriorhodopsin (bR) generated the most interest. bR undergoes enormous absorption and concomitant refractive index changes upon initiation of a cyclic series of photoreactions by a burst of actinic light. This effect can be exploited to create highly versatile all-optical logical elements. We demonstrate the potential of this approach by investigating the static and dynamic response of several basic elements of integrated optical devices. Our results show that, due to its relatively high refractive index changes, bR can be used as an active nonlinear optical material to produce a variety of integrated optical switching and modulation effects.

In distributed quantum computation, small devices composed of a single or a few qubits are networked together to achieve a scalable machine. Typically, there is an opticallyactive matter qubit at each node, so that photons are exploited to achieve remote entanglement. However, in many systems the opticallyactive states are unstable or poorly defined. We report a scheme to perform a high-fidelity entanglement operation even given severe instability. The protocol exploits the existence of optically excited states for phase acquisition without actually exciting those states; it functions with or without cavities and does not require number-resolving detectors.

An apparatus and method for determining acid concentrations in solutions having acid concentrations of from about 0.1 Molar to about 16 Molar is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber for interrogation of the sample solution, a fiber optic light source for passing light transversely through the chamber, a fiber optic collector for receiving the collimated light after transmission through the chamber, a coating of an acid resistant polymeric composition upon at least one fiber end or lens, the polymeric composition in contact with the sample solution within the chamber and having a detectable response to acid concentrations within the range of from about 0.1 Molar to about 16 Molar, a measurer for the response of the polymeric composition in contact with the sample solution, and a comparer of the measured response to predetermined standards whereby the acid molarity of the sample solution within the chamber can be determined. Preferably, a first lens is attached to the end of the fiber optic light source, the first lens adapted to collimate light from the fiber optic light source, and a second lens is attached to the end of the fiber optic collector for focusing the collimated light after transmission through the chamber. 10 figs.

An apparatus and method for determining acid concentrations in solutions having acid concentrations of from about 0.1 Molar to about 16 Molar is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber for interrogation of the sample solution, a fiber optic light source for passing light transversely through the chamber, a fiber optic collector for receiving the collimated light after transmission through the chamber, a coating of an acid resistant polymeric composition upon at least one fiber end or lens, the polymeric composition in contact with the sample solution within the chamber and having a detectable response to acid concentrations within the range of from about 0.1 Molar to about 16 Molar, a measurer for the response of the polymeric composition in contact with the sample solution, and, a comparer of the measured response to predetermined standards whereby the acid molarity of the sample solution within the chamber can be determined. Preferably, a first lens is attached to the end of the fiber optic light source, the first lens adapted to collimate light from the fiber optic light source, and a second lens is attached to the end of the fiber optic collector for focusing the collimated light after transmission through the chamber.

In the context of direct imaging of exoplanets using XAO, the main limitations in images are due to residual quasi-static speckles induced by atmospheric phase residuals and instrumental static and quasi-static aberrations not corrected by AO: the post-coronagraphic image quality is directly linked to the power spectral density (PSD) of the optical train before the coronagraph. In this context, the potential of Stress Polishing has been demonstrated at LAM after the delivery of the three toric mirrors (TMs) for the VLT-SPHERE instrument. The extreme optical quality of such aspherical optics is obtained thanks to the spherical polishing of warped mirrors using full sized tools, avoiding the generation of high spatial frequency ripples due to classical sub-aperture tool marks. Furthermore, sub-nanometric roughnesses have been obtained thanks to a super smoothing method. Work is ongoing at LAM in order to improve this manufacturing method to cover a wide range of off-axis aspherics, with a reduction of the manufacturing time and cost. Smart warping structures are designed in order to bend the mirrors with a combination of focus, astigmatism and coma. This development will allow the stress polishing of supersmooth OAP for XAO optical relays improving the wavefront quality and in this way the high contrast level of future exoplanet imagers.

The design, fabrication, and test of two gated, high speed optical detectors for use in high speed digital laser communication links are discussed. The optical detectors used a dynamic crossed field photomultiplier and electronics including dc bias and RF drive circuits, automatic remote synchronization circuits, automatic gain control circuits, and threshold detection circuits. The equipment is used to detect binary encoded signals from a mode locked neodynium laser.

Since the eighties of the 20th century, various types of linear glass rasters for architectural usage have been developed in the Czech Republic made by the continuous melting technology. The development was focused on two main groups of rasters - active rasters with linear Fresnel lenses in fixed installation and with movable photo-thermal and/or photo-thermal/photo-voltaic absorbers. The second group are passive rasters based on total reflection of rays on an optical prism. During the last years we have been working on their standardization, exact measuring of their optical and thermal-technical characteristics and on creation of a final product that could be applied in solar architecture. With the project supported by the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic we were able to build an experimental greenhouse using these active and passive optical glass rasters. The project followed the growing number of technical objectives. The concept of the greenhouse consisted of interdependence construction - structural design of the greenhouse with its technological equipment securing the required temperature and humidity conditions in the interior of the greenhouse. This article aims to show the merits of the proposed scheme and presents the results of the mathematical model in the TRNSYS environment through which we could predict the future energy balance carried out similar works, thus optimizing the investment and operating costs. In this article description of various technology applications for passive and active utilization of solar radiation is presented, as well as some results of short-term and long-term experiments, including evaluation of 1-year operation of the greenhouse from the energy and interior temperature viewpoints. A comparison of the calculated energy flows in the greenhouse to real measured values, for verification of the installed model is also involved. (author)

We perform optical photometric and R-band polarimetric monitoring of BL Lac using 70-cm AZT-8 (CrAO, Ukraine) and 0.4-m LX-200 (St.Petersburg, Russia) telescopes, as a part of GASP project. As reported in Atel#4028, this blazar was found by Fermi LAT in active state on 2012 April 9. Our data show that a sharp optical maximum was reached on the date 2012-04-08UT02:20, R=13.10, while on 2012-04-11UT01:30 R=13.40.

Third generation synchrotron radiation sources currently being constructed worldwide will produce x-ray beams of unparalleled power and power density these high heat fluxes coupled with the stringent dimensional requirements of the x-ray optical components pose a prodigious challenge to designers of x-ray optical elements, specifically x-ray mirrors and crystal monochromators. Although certain established techniques for the cooling of high heat flux components can be directly applied to this problem, the thermal management of high heat load x-ray optical components has several unusual aspects that may ultimately lead to unique solutions. This manuscript attempts to summarize the various approaches currently being applied to this undertaking and to point out the areas of research that require further development.

Activeoptical frequency standard, or activeoptical clock, is a new concept of optical frequency standard, where a weak feedback with phase coherence information in optical bad-cavity limitation is formed, and the continuous self-sustained coherent stimulated emission between two atomic transition levels with population inversion is realized. Through ten years of both theoretical and experimental exploration, the narrow linewidth and suppression of cavity pulling effect of activeoptical frequency standard have been initially proved. In this paper, after a simple review, we will mainly present the most recent experimental progresses of activeoptical frequency standards in Peking University, including 4-level cesium activeoptical frequency standards and active Faraday optical frequency standards. The future development of activeoptical frequency standards is also discussed.

Optical positions are calculated for 26 active galaxies (mainly Markarian dn Arakelian objects), using the plate-measuring apparatus at Leiden Observatory on the O plates of the Palomar Sky Survey and applying AGK-3 data in the reductions. The results are presented in a table and have accuracy 0.5 arcsec; a comparison with the positions determined by Clements (1981, 1983) for 19 objects reveals a possible offset of -0.28 arcsec in the right-ascension determinations.

Highly birefringent (Hi-Bi) air-clad silica microfibers (MFs) with wavelength and sub-wavelength scale transverse dimensions are studied theoretically and experimentally. Hi-Bi MFs are taper-drawn from the standard SMF-28 single mode fibers that are "pre-processed" by "cutting away" parts of the silica cladding on opposite sides of the fiber with a femtosecond infrared laser. Such Hi-Bi MFs have approximately elliptical cross-sections and are approximated by a three-layer model comprising a small central Ge-doped region surrounded by an elliptical silica region and an air-cladding. Theoretical modeling shows that phase and group birefringence of the order 10(-2) can be achieved with such air-clad Hi-Bi MFs. Experiments with an air-clad elliptical fiber with a major diameter of 0.9 microm and a minor/major diameter ratio of 0.9 demonstrated a group birefringence of approximately 0.015, agreeing well with the theoretical predictions. The Hi-Bi MFs are useful for micron/nanoscale polarization maintaining transmission and phase-sensitive interferometric sensors. PMID:20389393

Optics for astronomy implies powerful developments of active and adaptive optics methods applied to instrumentation from X-rays to the near infrared for the design of telescopes, spectrographs, and coronagraph planet finders. This presentation particularly emphasizes the development of activeoptics methods. Highly accurate and remarkably smooth surfaces from activeoptics methods allow new optical systems that use highly aspheric and non-axisymmetric - freeform - surfaces. Depending on the goal and performance required for a deformable optical surface, elasticity theory analysis is carried out either with small deformation thin plate theory, large deformation thin plate theory, shallow spherical shell theory, or the weakly conical shell theory. A mirror thickness distribution is then determined as a function of associated bending actuators and boundary conditions. For a given optical shape to generate, one searches for optical solutions with a minimum number of actuators.

A high-temperature optical sensor (see Figure 1) has been developed that can operate at temperatures up to 1,000 C. The sensor development process consists of two parts: packaging of a fiber Bragg grating into a housing that allows a more sturdy thermally stable device, and a technological process to which the device is subjected to in order to meet environmental requirements of several hundred C. This technology uses a newly discovered phenomenon of the formation of thermally stable secondary Bragg gratings in communication-grade fibers at high temperatures to construct robust, optical, high-temperature sensors. Testing and performance evaluation (see Figure 2) of packaged sensors demonstrated operability of the devices at 1,000 C for several hundred hours, and during numerous thermal cycling from 400 to 800 C with different heating rates. The technology significantly extends applicability of optical sensors to high-temperature environments including ground testing of engines, flight propulsion control, thermal protection monitoring of launch vehicles, etc. It may also find applications in such non-aerospace arenas as monitoring of nuclear reactors, furnaces, chemical processes, and other hightemperature environments where other measurement techniques are either unreliable, dangerous, undesirable, or unavailable.

Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) is a bio-medical low coherence interferometric imaging technique that has become a topic of active research because of its ability to provide accurate, non-invasive cross-sectional images of biological tissue with much greater resolution than the current common technique ultrasound. OCM is a derivative of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) that enables greater resolution imposed by the implementation of an optical confocal design involving high numerical aperture (NA) focusing in the sample. The primary setback of OCM, however is the depth dependence of the lateral resolution obtained that arises from the smaller depth of focus of the high NA beam. We propose to overcome this limitation using a dynamic focusing lens design that can achieve quasi-invariant lateral resolution up to 1.5mm depth of skin tissue.

Adaptive Optics (AO) is a new and rapidly expanding field of instrumentation, yet astronomers, vision scientists, and general AO practitioners are largely unfamiliar with the root technologies crucial to AO systems. The AO Summer School (AOSS), sponsored by the Center for Adaptive Optics, is a week-long course for training graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the underlying theory, design, and use of AO systems. AOSS participants include astronomers who expect to utilize AO data, vision scientists who will use AO instruments to conduct research, opticians and engineers who design AO systems, and users of high-bandwidth laser communication systems. In this article we describe new AOSS laboratory sessions implemented in 2006-2009 for nearly 250 students. The activity goals include boosting familiarity with AO technologies, reinforcing knowledge of optical alignment techniques and the design of optical systems, and encouraging inquiry into critical scientific questions in vision science using AO systems as a research tool. The activities are divided into three stations: Vision Science, Fourier Optics, and the AO Demonstrator. We briefly overview these activities, which are described fully in other articles in these conference proceedings (Putnam et al., Do et al., and Harrington et al., respectively). We devote attention to the unique challenges encountered in the design of these activities, including the marriage of inquiry-like investigation techniques with complex content and the need to tune depth to a graduate- and PhD-level audience. According to before-after surveys conducted in 2008, the vast majority of participants found that all activities were valuable to their careers, although direct experience with integrated, functional AO systems was particularly beneficial.

We propose a high-sweeping-speed optically synchronized dual-channel terahertz (THz) signal generator for an active gas-sensing system with a superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer. The generator can sweep a frequency range from 200 to 500 GHz at a speed of 375 GHz/s and a frequency resolution of 500 MHz. With the developed gas-sensing system, a gas-absorption-line measurement was successfully carried out with N(2)O gas in that frequency range. PMID:20372575

Monolithic complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensors with high performance have gained attention in the last few years in many scientific and space applications. In order to evaluate the increasing capabilities of this technology, in particular where low dose high resolution x-ray medical imaging is required, critical electro-optical and physical x-ray performance evaluation was determined. The electro-optical performance includes read noise, full well capacity, interacting quantum efficiency, and pixels cross talk. The x-ray performance, including x-ray sensitivity, modulation transfer function, noise power spectrum, and detection quantum efficiency, has been evaluated in the mammographic energy range. The sensor is a 525 x 525 standard three transistor CMOS active pixel sensor array with more than 75% fill factor and 25 x 25 microm pixel pitch. Reading at 10 f/s, it is found that the sensor has 114 electrons total additive noise, 10(5) electrons full well capacity with shot noise limited operation, and 34% interacting quantum efficiency at 530 nm. Two different structured CsI:Tl phosphors with thickness 95 and 115 microm, respectively, have been optically coupled via a fiber optic plate to the array resulting in two different system configurations. The sensitivity of the two different system configurations was 43 and 47 electrons per x-ray incident on the sensor. The MTF at 10% of the two different system configurations was 9.5 and 9 cycles/mm with detective quantum efficiency of 0.45 and 0.48, respectively, close to zero frequency at approximately 0.44 microC/kg (1.72 mR) detector entrance exposure. The detector was quantum limited at low spatial frequencies and its performance was comparable with high resolution a: Si and charge coupled device based x-ray imagers. The detector also demonstrates almost an order of magnitude lower noise than active matrix flat panel imagers. The results suggest that CMOS active pixel sensors when coupled

Monolithic complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensors with high performance have gained attention in the last few years in many scientific and space applications. In order to evaluate the increasing capabilities of this technology, in particular where low dose high resolution x-ray medical imaging is required, critical electro-optical and physical x-ray performance evaluation was determined. The electro-optical performance includes read noise, full well capacity, interacting quantum efficiency, and pixels cross talk. The x-ray performance, including x-ray sensitivity, modulation transfer function, noise power spectrum, and detection quantum efficiency, has been evaluated in the mammographic energy range. The sensor is a 525x525 standard three transistor CMOS active pixel sensor array with more than 75% fill factor and 25x25 {mu}m pixel pitch. Reading at 10 f/s, it is found that the sensor has 114 electrons total additive noise, 10{sup 5} electrons full well capacity with shot noise limited operation, and 34% interacting quantum efficiency at 530 nm. Two different structured CsI:Tl phosphors with thickness 95 and 115 {mu}m, respectively, have been optically coupled via a fiber optic plate to the array resulting in two different system configurations. The sensitivity of the two different system configurations was 43 and 47 electrons per x-ray incident on the sensor. The MTF at 10% of the two different system configurations was 9.5 and 9 cycles/mm with detective quantum efficiency of 0.45 and 0.48, respectively, close to zero frequency at {approx}0.44 {mu}C/kg (1.72 mR) detector entrance exposure. The detector was quantum limited at low spatial frequencies and its performance was comparable with high resolution a:Si and charge coupled device based x-ray imagers. The detector also demonstrates almost an order of magnitude lower noise than active matrix flat panel imagers. The results suggest that CMOS active pixel sensors when coupled to

Many types of diseases including cancer and autism are associated with copy-number variations in the genome. Most of these variations could not be identified with existing sequencing and optical DNA mapping methods. We have developed Multi-color Super-resolution technique, with potential for high throughput and low cost, which can allow us to recognize more of these variations. Our technique has made 10--fold improvement in the resolution of optical DNA mapping. Using a 180 kb BAC clone as a model system, we resolved dense patterns from 108 fluorescent labels of two different colors representing two different sequence-motifs. Overall, a detailed DNA map with 100 bp resolution was achieved, which has the potential to reveal detailed information about genetic variance and to facilitate medical diagnosis of genetic disease.

The long-term activity of AM Her, the prototype of polars, consists of interchanging high and low states. This analysis uses the data from the BAT/ Swift, MAXI/ ISS, and AAVSO data archives (including long CCD V-band night series) for investigating the relation of the time evolution of intensities in the hard X-ray, medium/hard X-ray, and the optical bands on super-orbital timescale in a season dominated by the long high-state episodes. The observations mapped the relation of the cyclotron and bremsstrahlung luminosities in such episodes. Although an increase of intensity of the cyclotron emission is generally accompanied by a brightening of the bremsstrahlung component, this relation differs for the individual high-state episodes. These variations were accompanied by the large changes of the optical modulation. In my view, all of these variations suggest variations of the dimensions and structure of the cyclotron emitting region(s), not only the changes of the mass accretion rate. The activity during a decline (much less steep than the state transition) from an initial very bright peak can be explained by a gradual evolution of the conditions in stratified shock regions in a single high state episode. The observed behavior in the neighboring high-state episodes is also important for explaining the mechanisms which cause the low state between them. In the interpretation, some low-state episodes cause that AM Her develops a different accretion mode than the one before entering the low state. Each high-state episode is a complex phenomenon in the history of accretion in this system.

It has been widely accepted that the most environmentally beneficial way to treat waste activated sludge (WAS), the byproduct of municipal wastewater treatment plant, is to recover the valuable organic acid. However, the bio-conversion of lactic acid, one of the high added-value chemical, is seldom reported from WAS fermentation. In this paper, l-lactic acid was observed dominant in the WAS fermentation liquid with carbohydrate addition at ambient temperature. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on l-lactic acid and d-lactic acid production was fully discussed: two isomers were rapidly produced and consumed up in one day at mesophilic condition; and almost optically pure l-lactic acid was generated at thermophilic condition, yet time-consuming with yield of l-lactic acid enhancing by 52.9% compared to that at ambient temperature. The study mechanism showed that mesophilic condition was optimal for both production and consumption of l-lactic acid and d-lactic acid, while consumption of l-lactic acid and production of d-lactic acid were severely inhibited at thermophilic condition. Therefore, by maintaining thermophilic for 4 h in advance and subsequently fermenting mesophilic for 34 h, the concentration of l-lactic acid with opticalactivity of 98.3% was improved to 16.6 ± 0.5 g COD/L at a high specific efficiency of 0.6097/d. PMID:26878176

An inherent problem of conventional point-to-point wide area network (WAN) architectures is that they cannot translate optical transmission bandwidth into comparable user available throughput due to the limiting electronic processing speed of the switching nodes. The first solution to wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) based WAN networks that overcomes this limitation is presented. The proposed Lightnet architecture takes into account the idiosyncrasies of WDM switching/transmission leading to an efficient and pragmatic solution. The Lightnet architecture trades the ample WDM bandwidth for a reduction in the number of processing stages and a simplification of each switching stage, leading to drastically increased effective network throughputs. The principle of the Lightnet architecture is the construction and use of virtual topology networks, embedded in the original network in the wavelength domain. For this construction Lightnets utilize the new concept of lightpaths which constitute the links of the virtual topology. Lightpaths are all-optical, multihop, paths in the network that allow data to be switched through intermediate nodes using high throughput passive optical switches. The use of the virtual topologies and the associated switching design introduce a number of new ideas, which are discussed in detail.

There is provided a high power laser rotational optical assembly for use with, or in high power laser tools for performing high power laser operations. In particular, the optical assembly finds applications in performing high power laser operations on, and in, remote and difficult to access locations. The optical assembly has rotational seals and bearing configurations to avoid contamination of the laser beam path and optics.

Owing to their ability to confine and manipulate light at the nanoscale, plasmonic nanostructures are highly attractive for a broad range of applications. While tremendous progress has been made in the synthesis of size- and shape-controlled plasmonic nanostructures, their integration with other materials and application in solid-state is primarily through their assembly on rigid two-dimensional (2D) substrates, which limits the plasmonically active space to a few nanometers above the substrate. In this work, we demonstrate a simple method to create plasmonically active three-dimensional biofoams by integrating plasmonic nanostructures with highly porous biomaterial aerogels. We demonstrate that plasmonic biofoam is a versatile opticallyactive platform that can be harnessed for numerous applications including (i) ultrasensitive chemical detection using surface-enhanced Raman scattering; (ii) highly efficient energy harvesting and steam generation through plasmonic photothermal heating; and (iii) optical control of enzymatic activity by triggered release of biomolecules encapsulated within the aerogel. Our results demonstrate that 3D plasmonic biofoam exhibits significantly higher sensing, photothermal, and loading efficiency compared to conventional 2D counterparts. The design principles and processing methodology of plasmonic aerogels demonstrated here can be broadly applied in the fabrication of other functional foams. PMID:26630376

A long-standing challenge has been to directly image faint extrasolar planets adjacent to their host suns, which may be ~1-10 million times brighter than the planet. Several extreme AO systems designed for high-contrast observations have been tested at this point, including SPHERE, Magellan AO, PALM-3000, Project 1640, NICI, and the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI, Macintosh et al. 2014). The GPI is the world's most advanced high-contrast adaptive optics system on an 8-meter telescope for detecting and characterizing planets outside of our solar system. GPI will detect a previously unstudied population of young analogs to the giant planets of our solar system and help determine how planetary systems form. GPI employs a 44x44 woofer-tweeter adaptive optics system with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor operating at 1 kHz. The controller uses Fourier-based reconstruction and modal gains optimized from system telemetry (Poyneer et al. 2005, 2007). GPI has an apodized Lyot coronal graph to suppress diffraction and a near-infrared integral field spectrograph for obtaining planetary spectra. This paper discusses current performance limitations and presents the necessary instrumental modifications and sensitivity calculations for scenarios related to high-contrast observations of non-sidereal targets.

We have measured the temperature in the core of rare-earth-doped optical fibres under lasing conditions at highoptical pump powers using a fibre Mach - Zehnder interferometer and probe light of wavelength far away from the absorption bands of the active ions. From the observed heating kinetics of the active medium, the heat transfer coefficient on the polymer cladding - air interface has been estimated. The temperature of the active medium is shown to depend on the thermal and optical properties of the polymer cladding. (fiber and integrated optics)

Activeoptics is the most difficult part in LAMOST project. Especially for the segmented reflecting Schmidt plate Ma, in which both segmented mirror activeoptics and thin mirror (or deformable mirror) activeoptics are applied. To test and optimize the thin mirror activeoptics of Ma, and to approach the reality of operating environment of the telescope, an outdoor experiment system has been established. This experiment system is also a `small LAMOST" with one sub-mirror of the primary mirror Mb and one sub-mirror of the Schmidt plate Ma, and with full scale in spacing (40 meters) between Ma and Mb. many parts of LAMOST were tested in the experiment system except segmented mirror activeoptics. Especially for force actuators, thin mirror support system, friction driving of the alt-azimuth mounting and its control system, wave front test along such a long optical path. This paper presents the experiment system, research and developments, and some experiment results.

The Department of Energy`s Morgantown Energy Technology Center has developed a combustion probe for monitoring flame presence and heat release. The technology involved is a compact optical detector of the OH radical`s UV fluorescence. The OH Monitor/Probe is designed to determine the flame presence and provide a qualitative signal proportional to the flame intensity. The probe can be adjusted to monitor a specific volume in the combustion zone to track spatial fluctuations in the flame. The probe is capable of nanosecond time response and is usually slowed electronically to fit the flame characteristics. The probe is a sapphire rod in a stainless steel tube which may be inserted into the combustion chamber and pointed at the flame zone. The end of the sapphire rod is retracted into the SS tube to define a narrow optical collection cone. The collection cone may be adjusted to fit the experiment. The fluorescence signal is collected by the sapphire rod and transmitted through a UV transmitting, fused silica, fiber optic to the detector assembly. The detector is a side window photomultiplier (PMT) with a 310 run line filter. A Hamamatsu photomultiplier base combined with a integral high voltage power supply permits this to be a low voltage device. Electronic connections include: a power lead from a modular DC power supply for 15 VDC; a control lead for 0-1 volts to control the high voltage level (and therefore gain); and a lead out for the actual signal. All low voltage connections make this a safe and easy to use device while still delivering the sensitivity required.

Opticalactivity of some substances, such as chiral molecules, often exhibits circular birefringence. Circular birefringence causes rotation of the vibration plane of the plane polarized light as it passes through the substance. In this work we present optical characterization of honey as function of the opticalactivity when it is placed in a polariscope that consists of a light source and properly arranged polarizing elements.

This is the third paper of a series aimed at studying the chromosphere of active binary systems using the information provided for several optical spectroscopic features. High resolution echelle spectra including all the optical chromospheric activity indicators from the Ca II H & K to Ca II IRT lines are analysed here for 16 systems. The chromospheric contribution in these lines has been determined using the spectral subtraction technique. Very broad wings have been found in the subtracted Hα profile of the very active star HU Vir. These profiles are well matched using a two-component Gaussian fit (narrow and broad) and the broad component can be interpreted as arising from microflaring. Red-shifted absorption features in the Hα line have been detected in several systems and excess emission in the blue wing of FG UMa was also detected. These features indicate that several dynamical processes, or a combination of them, may be involved. Using the E_Hα /E_Hβ ratio as a diagnostic we have detected prominence-like extended material viewed off the limb in many stars of the sample, and prominences viewed against the disk at some orbital phases in the dwarfs OU Gem and BF Lyn. The He i D3 line has been detected as an absorption feature in mainly all the giants of the sample. Total filling-in of the He i D3, probably due to microflaring activity, is observed in HU Vir. Self-absorption with red asymmetry is detected in the Ca II H & K lines of the giants 12 Cam, FG UMa and BM CVn. All the stars analysed show clear filled-in Ca II IRT lines or even notable emission reversal. The small values of the E_8542/E_8498 ratio we have found indicate Ca II IRT emission arises from plage-like regions. Orbital phase modulation of the chromospheric emission has been detected in some systems, in the case of HU Vir evidence of an active longitude area has been found. Based on observations made with the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton

We propose an optical switch control procedure for high-performance and cost-effective 10 Gbps ActiveOptical Access System (AOAS) in which optical switches are used instead of optical splitters in PON (Passive Optical Network). We demonstrate the implemented optical switch control module on Optical Switching Unit (OSW) with logic circuits works effectively. We also propose a compact optical 3D-CSP (Chip Scale Package) to achieve the high performance of AOAS without losing cost advantage of PON. We demonstrate the implemented 3D-CSP works effectively.

We investigate optical magnetism and opticalactivity in a simple planar metamolecule composed of double U-shaped metal split ring resonators (SRRs) twisted by 90° with respect to one another. Compared to a single SRR, the resonant energy levels are split and strong magnetic response can be observed due to inductive and conductive coupling. More interestingly, the nonchiral structures exhibit strong optical gyrotropy (1100°/λ) under oblique incidence, benefiting from the strong electromagnetic coupling. A chiral molecule model is proposed to shed light on the physical origin of opticalactivity. These artificial chiral metamaterials could be utilized to control the polarization of light and promise applications in enantiomer sensing-based medicine, biology, and drug development. PMID:27367063

Culture conditions with Pseudomonas putida strain HKT554, expressing naphthalene dioxygenase, known as the biocatalyst showing wide substrate specificity, were optimized for high cell density cultivation (HCDC). Culture in a medium TK-B modified from that for HCDC of Escherichia coli with glucose fed-batch and dissolved oxygen stat resulted in a high cell density growth of 114 g dry cell/l at 40 h of cultivation. This system was further applied for S-(+)-methyl phenyl sulfoxide (MPSO) production from methyl phenyl sulfide. Addition of nonpolar organic solvent, such as n-hexadecane, greatly enhanced the MPSO production due to the prevention of substrate evaporation, resulting in a MPSO production up to 39 mM in 30 h with a conversion rate of 95.7 mol%. PMID:23053095

Electro-optical sensors for measuring high voltages developed for use in automatically controlled power-distribution systems. Sensors connected to optoelectronic interrogating equipment by optical fibers. Because sensitive material and optical fibers are all dielectric, no problem in electrically isolating interrogating circuitry from high voltage, and no need for voltage dividers. Sensor signals transmitted along fibers immune to electromagnetic noise at radio and lower frequencies.

We present infrared, optical, and X-ray data of 48 X-ray bright, optically dull active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the COSMOS field. These objects exhibit the X-ray luminosity of an AGN but lack broad and narrow emission lines in their optical spectrum. We show that despite the lack of optical emission lines, most of these optically dull AGNs are not well described by a typical passive red galaxy spectrum: instead they exhibit weak but significant blue emission like an unobscured AGN. Photometric observations over several years additionally show significant variability in the blue emission of four optically dull AGNs. The nature of the blue and infrared emission suggest that the optically inactive appearance of these AGNs cannot be caused by obscuration intrinsic to the AGNs. Instead, up to approx70% of optically dull AGNs are diluted by their hosts, with bright or simply edge-on hosts lying preferentially within the spectroscopic aperture. The remaining approx30% of optically dull AGNs have anomalously high f{sub X} /f{sub O} ratios and are intrinsically weak, not obscured, in the optical. These optically dull AGNs are best described as a weakly accreting AGN with a truncated accretion disk from a radiatively inefficient accretion flow.

The practical realization of long-distance entanglement-based quantum communication systems strongly rely on the observation of highly stable quantum interference between correlated single photons. This task must accompany active stabilization of the optical path lengths within the single-photon coherence length. Here, we provide two-step interferometer stabilization methods employing continuous optical length control and experimentally demonstrate two-photon quantum interference using an actively stabilized 6-km-long fiber-optic Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer. The two-step active control techniques are applied for measuring highly stable two-photon interference fringes by scanning the optical path-length difference. The obtained two-photon interference visibilities with and without accidental subtraction are found to be approximately 90.7% and 65.4%, respectively. PMID:27409920

Opticalactivity in chiral metamaterials is demonstrated in simulation and shows actively tunable giant polarization rotation at THz frequencies. Electric current distributions show that pure chirality is achieved by our bi-Iayer chiral metamaterial design. The chirality can be optically controlled by illumination with near-infrared light. Opticalactivity, occurring in chiral materials such as DNA, sugar and many other bio-molecules, is a phenomenon of great importance to many areas of science including molecular biology, analytical chemistry, optoelectronics and display applications. This phenomenon is well understood at an effective medium level as a magnetic/electric moment excited by the electric/magnetic field of the incident electromagnetic (EM) wave. Usually, natural chiral materials exhibit very weak opticalactivity e.g. a gyrotropic quartz crystal. The opticalactivity of chiral metamaterials, however, can be five orders of magnitude stronger. Chiral metamaterials are made of sub-wavelength resonators lacking symmetry planes. The asymmetry allows magnetic moments to be excited by the electric field of the incident EM wave and vice versa. Recently, chiral metamaterials have been demonstrated and lead to prospects in giant opticalactivity, circular dichroism, negative refraction and reversing the Casmir force. These fascinating optical properties require strong chirality, which may be designed through the microscopic structure of chiral metamaterials. However, these metamaterials have a fixed response function, defined by the geometric structuring, which limits their ability to manipulate EM waves. Active metamaterials realize dynamic control of response functions and have produced many influential applications such as ultra-fast switching devices, frequency and phase modulation and memory devices. Introducing active designs to chiral metamaterials will give additional freedom in controlling the opticalactivity, and therefore enable dynamic manipulation

We develop a new theory of the optical theorem for scalar fields in nonhomogeneous media which can be bounded or unbounded. It applies to arbitrary lossless backgrounds and quite general probing fields. The derived formulation holds for arbitrary passive scatterers, which can be dissipative, as well as for the more general class of active scatterers which are composed of a (passive) scatterer component and an active, radiating (antenna) component. The generalization of the optical theorem to active scatterers is relevant to many applications such as surveillance of active targets including certain cloaks and invisible scatterers and wireless communications. The derived theoretical framework includes the familiar real power optical theorem describing power extinction due to both dissipation and scattering as well as a novel reactive optical theorem related to the reactive power changes. The developed approach naturally leads to three optical theorem indicators or statistics which can be used to detect changes or targets in unknown complex media. The paper includes numerical simulation results that illustrate the application of the derived optical theorem results to change detection in complex and random media.

A system of activeoptics that includes a wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror has been demonstrated to be an effective means of partly correcting wavefront aberrations introduced by fixed optics (lenses and mirrors) in telescopes. It is envisioned that after further development, activeoptics would be used to reduce wavefront aberrations of about one wave or less in telescopes having aperture diameters of the order of meters or tens of meters. Although this remaining amount of aberration would be considered excessive in scientific applications in which diffraction-limited performance is required, it would be acceptable for free-space optical- communication applications at wavelengths of the order of 1 m. To prevent misunderstanding, it is important to state the following: The technological discipline of activeoptics, in which the primary or secondary mirror of a telescope is directly and dynamically tilted, distorted, and/or otherwise varied to reduce wavefront aberrations, has existed for decades. The term activeoptics does not necessarily mean the same thing as does adaptive optics, even though activeoptics and adaptive optics are related. The term "adaptive optics" is often used to refer to wavefront correction at speeds characterized by frequencies ranging up to between hundreds of hertz and several kilohertz high enough to enable mitigation of adverse effects of fluctuations in atmospheric refraction upon propagation of light beams. The term activeoptics usually appears in reference to wavefront correction at significantly lower speeds, characterized by times ranging from about 1 second to as long as minutes. Hence, the novelty of the present development lies, not in the basic concept of active or adaptive optics, but in the envisioned application of activeoptics in conjunction with a deformable mirror to achieve acceptably small wavefront errors in free-space optical communication systems that include multi-meter-diameter telescope mirrors that are

Stem-cell-based therapies hold promise and potential to address many unmet clinical needs. Cell tracking with modern imaging modalities offers insight into the underlying biological process of the stem-cell-based therapies, with the goal to reveal cell survival, migration, homing, engraftment, differentiation, and functions. Adaptability, sensitivity, resolution, and non-invasiveness have contributed to the longstanding use of optical imaging for stem cell tracking and analysis. To identify transplanted stem cells from the host tissue, opticallyactive probes are usually used to label stem cells before the administration. In comparison to the traditional fluorescent probes like fluorescent proteins and dyes, nanoparticle-based probes are advantageous in terms of the photo-stabilities and minimal changes to the cell phenotype. The main focus here is to overview the recent development of opticallyactive nanoparticles for stem cells tracking. The related optical imaging modalities include fluorescence imaging, photoacoustic imaging, Raman and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy imaging. PMID:23638335

A preliminary report on the ActiveOptical System Components Experiment is presented. This experiment contained 136 components in a six inch deep tray including lasers, infrared detectors and arrays, ultraviolet light detectors, light-emitting diodes, a light modulator, flash lamps, optical filters, glasses, and samples of surface finishes. Thermal, mechanical, and structural considerations leading to the design of the tray hardware are discussed. In general, changes in the retested component characteristics appear as much related to the passage of time as to the effects of the space environment, but organic materials, multilayer optical interference filters, and extreme-infrared reflectivity of black paints show unexpected changes.

A photovoltaic concentrator assembly that includes a housing that defines an internal volume and includes a rim, wherein the rim defines an opening into the internal volume, a photovoltaic cell positioned in the internal volume, and an optical element that includes an opticallyactive body and a flange extending outward from the body, wherein the flange is sealingly engaged with the rim of the housing to enclose the internal volume.

Our BVRI optical observations of Mrk 421 were performed within the multiwavelength international campaign (December 2012-June 2013), with the participation of GASP-WEBT, Swift, MAGIC, VLBA, NuSTAR, Fermi, VERITAS, F-GAMMA and other collaborations. Following the reports of enhanced X-ray and gamma activity of Mrk 421 (ATel #4978, ATel #4977, ATel #4976, ATel #4974, ATel #4918), we observed this blazar with the optical telescopes of the National Astronomical Observatory Rozhen and the Astronomical Observatory Belogradchik, Bulgaria.

Various manifestations of opticalactivity (OA) in crystals and organic materials are considered. Examples of opticallyactive enantiomorphic and nonenantiomorphic crystals of 18 symmetry classes are presented. The OA of enantiomorphic organic materials as components of living nature (amino acids, sugars, and proteins) is analyzed. Questions related to the origin of life on earth are considered. Examples of differences in the enantiomers of drugs are shown. The consequences of replacing conventional left-handed amino acids with additionally right-handed amino acids for living organisms are indicated.

A high-temperature optical window is essential to the optical diagnostics of high-temperature combustion rigs. Laser Doppler velocimetry, schlieren photography, light sheet visualization, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy are a few of the tests that require optically clear access to the combustor flow stream. A design was developed for a high-temperature window that could withstand the severe environment of the NASA Lewis 3200 F Lean Premixed Prevaporized (LPP) Flame Tube Test Rig. The development of this design was both time consuming and costly. This report documents the design process and the lessons learned, in an effort to reduce the cost of developing future designs for high-temperature optical windows.

The circular dichroism of hypothetical, water-filled, spherical shells, 75-3500 nm in radius, with walls 7.5 nm thick, composed of poly(L-lysine) in various conformational proportions, and suspended in water, were computed from the known optical properties of this polypeptide by classical general light-scattering theory (Mie theory). Comparison of the computed curves of circular dichroism spectra with those of diverse membranes reveals large discrepancies below 215 nm and shows that light scattering does not adequately account for the opticalactivity of membranes containing appreciable proportions of nonhelical conformation. However, turbidity effects can explain the anomalies of membrane optical rotatory dispersion near 233 nm, if not uniquely so. We conclude that the opticalactivity of neither most soluble proteins nor membrane proteins can provide accurate conformational information when synthetic polypeptides are used as standards and list the reasons for this argument. We also show that present techniques to "correct" membrane opticalactivity are likely to produce additional artifact. PMID:4522300

Optical rate sensors, in particular CCD arrays, will be used on Space Station Freedom to track stars in order to provide inertial attitude reference. An algorithm to provide attitude rate information by directly manipulating the sensor pixel intensity output is presented. The star image produced by a sensor in the laboratory is modeled. Simulated, moving star images are generated, and the algorithm is applied to this data for a star moving at a constant rate. The algorithm produces accurate derived rate of the above data. A step rate change requires two frames for the output of the algorithm to accurately reflect the new rate. When zero mean Gaussian noise with a standard deviation of 5 is added to the simulated data of a star image moving at a constant rate, the algorithm derives the rate with an error of 1.9 percent at a rate of 1.28 pixels per frame.

Opticalactivity in 3D-chiral media in the form of circular dichroism and birefringence is a fundamental phenomenon that serves as evidence of life forms and is widely used in spectroscopy. Even in 3D-chiral media exhibiting strong transmission opticalactivity, the reflective effect is weak and sometimes undetectable. Here, we report that specular opticalactivity at structured interfaces can be very strong. Resonant polarization rotation reaching 25 ° and reflectivity contrast exceeding 50% for oppositely circularly polarized waves are observed for microwaves reflected by a metasurface with structural elements lacking two-fold rotational symmetry. The effect arises at oblique incidence from a 3D-chiral arrangement of the wave's direction and the metasurface's structure that itself does not possess chiral elements. Specular opticalactivity of such magnitude is unprecedented. It is fundamentally different from the polarization effects occurring upon scattering, reflection, and transmission from surfaces with 2D-chiral patterns. The scale of the effect allows applications in polarization sensitive devices and surface spectroscopies.

Describes the use of two polarizing lenses, a yellow filter, an oatmeal bos, a piece of cardboard, a 1,000 ml beaker, and an overhead projector to demonstrate compound opticalactivity to large classes. Indicates the presence of an accuracy within 1-2 degrees of usually acceptable data. (CC)

A preliminary report on the ActiveOptical System Components Experiment is presented. This experiment contained 136 components in a six-inch deep tray including lasers, infrared detectors and arrays, ultraviolet light detectors, light-emitting diodes, a light modulator, flash lamps, optical filters, glasses, and samples of surface finishes. The experimental results for those component characteristics appear as much related to the passage of time as to the effects of the space environment, but organic materials and extreme-infrared reflectivity of black paints show unexpected changes.

An optical fiber is provided. The fiber is comprised of an active fiber core which produces waves of light upon excitation. A factor ka is identified and increased until a desired improvement in power efficiency is obtained. The variable a is the radius of the active fiber core and k is defined as 2 pi/lambda wherein lambda is the wavelength of the light produced by the active fiber core. In one embodiment, the factor ka is increased until the power efficiency stabilizes. In addition to a bare fiber core embodiment, a two-stage fluorescent fiber is provided wherein an active cladding surrounds a portion of the active fiber core having an improved ka factor. The power efficiency of the embodiment is further improved by increasing a difference between the respective indices of refraction of the active cladding and the active fiber core.

The author discusses the HSDB (high speed data bus) active coupler which provides a typical 13-dB power margin for HSDB systems installed in military aircraft. This high-power margin ensures reliable HSDB operation through fiber-optic component degradation. The active coupler performs optical amplification and signal reshaping functions such that an incoming signal is modified only in amplitude. Signal distortion and jitter are removed by a retiming ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). The active coupler is modular in design, and plug-in growth for a 38 x 38 user interface is available. The active coupler achieves better than -27 dBm sensitivity at 5 x 10 exp -11 bit error rate and outputs -8 to -12 dBm optical power. The active coupler unit weighs only 6.25 lbs and has a predicted mean time between failure of over 21,000 h.

Describes a 3.33-cm wavelength (9 GHz) microwave system that achieves a high overall signal sensitivity and a well-collimated beam with moderate-size equipment. The system has been used to develop microwave versions of the Michelson interferometer, Bragg reflector, Brewster's law and total internal reflection, and Young's interference experiment.…

Software Configurable Optical Test System (SCOTS) developed at University of Arizona is a highly efficient optical metrology technique based on the principle of deflectometry, which can achieve comparable accuracy with interferometry but with low-cost hardware. In a SCOTS test, an LCD display is used to generate structured light pattern to illuminate the test optics and the reflected light is captured by a digital camera. The surface slope of test optics is determined by triangulation of the display pixels, test optics, and the camera. The surface shape is obtained by the integration of the slopes. Comparing to interferometry, which has long served as an accurate non-contact optical metrology technology, SCOTS overcomes the limitation of dynamic range and sensitivity to environment. It is able to achieve high dynamic range slope measurement without requiring null optics. In this dissertation, the sensitivity and performance of the test system have been analyzed comprehensively. Sophisticated calibrations of system components have been investigated and implemented in different metrology projects to push this technology to a higher accuracy including low-order terms. A compact on-axis SCOTS system lowered the testing geometry sensitivity in the metrology of 1-meter highly aspheric secondary mirror of Large Binocular Telescope. Sub-nm accuracy was achieved in testing a high precision elliptical X-ray mirror by using reference calibration. A well-calibrated SCOTS was successfully constructed and is, at the time of writing this dissertation, being used to provide surface metrology feedback for the fabrication of the primary mirror of Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope which is a 4-meter off-axis parabola with more than 8 mm aspherical departure.

Deep space optical communications is a significantly more challenging operational domain than near Earth space optical communications, primarily due to effects resulting from the vastly increased range between transmitter and receiver. The NASA Game Changing Development Program Deep Space Optical Communications Project is developing four key technologies for the implementation of a high efficiency telecommunications system that will enable greater than 10X the data rate of a state-of-the-art deep space RF system (Ka-band) for similar transceiver mass and power burden on the spacecraft. These technologies are a low mass spacecraft disturbance isolation assembly, a flight qualified photon counting detector array, a high efficiency flight laser amplifier and a high efficiency photon counting detector array for the ground-based receiver.

We demonstrated an active radiation hardening technology for fiber optic source developed for high performance fiber optic gyroscope. The radiation characteristic of erbium-doped fiber was studied experimentally. The radiation induced attenuation (RIA) at 980nm pump light was identified to be the main reason for the degradation and there was photo-bleaching effect in EDF too. A variable parameters control technology was proposed and taken to keep the 980nm and 1550nm light energy stable and high stability and radiation-resistance fiber source with gauss profile spectrum was realized .The source can stand against more than 50 krad (Si) total radiation dose.

The large surveys and sensitive instruments of modern astronomy are turning ever more examples of variable objects, many of which are extending the parameter space to testing theories of stellar evolution and accretion. Future projects such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will only add more challenging candidates to this list. Understanding such objects often requires fast spectroscopy, but the trend for ever larger detectors makes this difficult. In this contribution I outline the science made possible by high-speed spectroscopy, and consider how a combination of the well-known progress in computer technology combined with recent advances in CCD detectors may finally enable it to become a standard tool of astrophysics.

This abstract discloses a target for opticallyactivated seekers and trackers (TOAST) which provides for calibrated and variable target characteristics such as size, intensity, spatial position, color and interfering background. The TOAST has a first ilumination system providing a target light beam through an adjustable iris which controls image size. The target beam passes through a collimator lens which focuses the light at infinity. With the target beam focused at infinity, the motion of an elevation plate lengthens or shortens the distance from the collimator lens to a one motion mirror. The target beam is attenuated by a variable filter driven by a servo-motor, and a color selection process is provided by passing the beam through spectral filters. A background light beam with background imagery is provided to the beamsplitter mirror and mixed with the target image so as to simulate the target environment encountered by an operating opticallyactivated seeker and tracker.

Particles constructed by chiral polymers (defined as PCPs) have emerged as a rapidly expanding research field in recent years because of their potentially wide-ranging applications in asymmetric catalysis, enantioselective crystallization, enantioselective release, amongst many others. The particles show considerable opticalactivity, due to the chirality of the corresponding polymers from which the particles are derived. This review article presents an overview on PCPs with emphasis on our group's recent achievements in the preparation of PCPs derived from opticallyactive helical polymers and their applications. PCPs can be prepared via emulsion polymerization, precipitation polymerization, and suspension polymerization by starting from monomers. Emulsification of preformed chiral polymers and self-assembly approaches also can lead to PCPs. Chiral polymer-based core/shell particles, hollow particles, and magnetic particles are also covered because of their remarkable properties and significant potential applications. PMID:24030962

We develop a general theory of opticalactivity of semiconductor nanocrystals whose chirality is induced by a small perturbation of their otherwise achiral electronic subsystems. The opticalactivity is described using the quantum-mechanical expressions for the rotatory strengths and dissymmetry factors introduced by Rosenfeld. We show that the rotatory strengths of opticallyactive transitions are decomposed on electric dipole and magnetic dipole contributions, which correspond to the electric dipole and magnetic dipole transitions between the unperturbed quantum states. Remarkably, while the two kinds of rotatory strengths are of the same order of magnitude, the corresponding dissymmetry factors can differ by a factor of 105. By maximizing the dissymmetry of magnetic dipole absorption one can significantly enhance the enantioselectivity in the interaction of semiconductor nanocrystals with circularly polarized light. This feature may advance chiral and analytical methods, which will benefit biophysics, chemistry, and pharmaceutical science. The developed theory is illustrated by an example of intraband transitions inside a semiconductor nanocuboid, whose rotatory strengths and dissymmetry factors are calculated analytically.

This review highlights and summarizes various opticallyactive porphyrin and phthalocyanine molecules prepared using a wide range of structural modification methods to improve the design of novel structures and their applications. The induced chirality of some illustrative achiral bis-porphyrins with a chiral guest molecule is introduced because these systems are ideal for the identification and separation of chiral biologically active substrates. In addition, the relationship between CD signal and the absolute configuration of the molecule is analyzed through an analysis of the results of molecular modeling calculations. Possible future research directions are also discussed. PMID:27186902

High power laser systems such as the LMJ laser or the LIL laser, its prototype, require large optical components with very strict and various specifications. Technologies used for the fabrication of these components are now usually compatible of such specifications, but need the implementation at the providers' sites of different kind of metrology like interferometry, photometry, surface inspection, etc., systematically performed on the components. So, during the production for the LIL and now for the LMJ, CEA has also equipped itself with a wide range of specific metrology devices used to verify the effective quality of these large optics. These various systems are now used to characterize and validate the LMJ vendors' processes or to perform specific controls dedicated to analyzes which are going further than the simple "quality control" of the component (mechanical mount effect, environment effect, ageing effect,...). After a short introduction on the LMJ laser and corresponding optical specifications for components, we will focus on different metrology devices concerning interferometry and photometry measurements or surface inspection. These systems are individually illustrated here by the mean of different results obtained during controls done in the last few years.

Increasingly, scientific and military missions require the use of space-based optical systems. For example, new capabilities are required for imaging terrestrial like planets, for surveillance, and for directed energy applications. Given the difficulties in producing and launching large optics, it is doubtful that refinements of conventional technology will meet future needs, particularly in a cost-effective manner. To meet this need, recent research has been investigating the feasibility of a new class of ultra-lightweight think-skin optical elements that combine recent advances in lightweight thermally formed materials, active materials, and novel sensing and control architectures. If successful, the approach may lead to an order of magnitude reduction in space optics areal density, improved large scale manufacturing capability, and dramatic reductions in manufacturing and launch costs. In a recent effort, a one meter thin-film mirror like structure was fabricated. This paper provides an overview of tools used to model and simulate this structure as well as results from structural dynamic testing. In addition, progress in the area of non-contact global shape control using smart materials is presented.

Xerox Electro-Optical Systems is developing an information storage and retrieval system for the Library of Congress to store a data base consisting of seven million library cards. The library card image will be digitized, stored, and retrieved by a computer system and printed out on a Xerox 9700 high speed laser printer.

Results are presented of a computer-based study on the rate of excitation in the active cores of two types of optically pumped lasers as a function of a number of parameters of the active core. The absorption bands of the active materials are generated by Lorentzian and Gaussian functions. The excitation rate of the active core is proportional to the width of the absorption band at all depths of penetration. The plots of excitation rate as a function of frequency show curves similar to line reversal spectra and emphasize the importance of excitation some distance from the center of the absorption band in the slab model. In the cylindrical model, this wing pumping is even more important due to focusing. The effect of refractive index on the excitation rate is also described. PMID:20062337

Novel approaches are required to coordinate the immense amounts of information derived from diverse genomes. This concept has influenced the expanded role of high-throughput DNA detection and analysis in the biological sciences. A high-density fiber optic DNA biosensor was developed consisting of oligonucleotide-functionalized, 3.1 mm diameter microspheres deposited into the etched wells on the distal face of a 500 micrometers imaging fiber bundle. Imaging fiber bundles containing thousands of optical fibers, each associated with a unique oligonucleotide probe sequence, were the foundation for an optically connected, individually addressable DNA detection platform. Different oligonucleotide-functionalized microspheres were combined in a stock solution, and randomly dispersed into the etched wells. Microsphere positions were registered from optical dyes incorporated onto the microspheres. The distribution process provided an inherent redundancy that increases the signal-to-noise ratio as the square root of the number of sensors examined. The representative amount of each probe-type in the array was dependent on their initial stock solution concentration, and as other sequences of interest arise, new microsphere elements can be added to arrays without altering the existing detection capabilities. The oligonucleotide probe sequences hybridize to fluorescently-labeled, complementary DNA target solutions. Fiber optic DNA microarray research has included DNA-protein interaction profiles, microbial strain differentiation, non-labeled target interrogation with molecular beacons, and single cell-based assays. This biosensor array is proficient in DNA detection linked to specific disease states, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP's) discrimination, and gene expression analysis. This array platform permits multiple detection formats, provides smaller feature sizes, and enables sensor design flexibility. High-density fiber optic microarray biosensors provide a fast

Historically, the first demonstration of the optical FEL was in an amplifier configuration at Stanford University [l]. There were other notable instances of amplifying a seed laser, such as the LLNL PALADIN amplifier [2] and the BNL ATF High-Gain Harmonic Generation FEL [3]. However, for the most part FELs are operated as oscillators or self amplified spontaneous emission devices. Yet, in wavelength regimes where a conventional laser seed can be used, the FEL can be used as an amplifier. One promising application is for very high average power generation, for instance FEL's with average power of 100 kW or more. The high electron beam power, high brightness and high efficiency that can be achieved with photoinjectors and superconducting Energy Recovery Linacs (ERL) combine well with the high-gain FEL amplifier to produce unprecedented average power FELs. This combination has a number of advantages. In particular, we show that for a given FEL power, an FEL amplifier can introduce lower energy spread in the beam as compared to a traditional oscillator. This properly gives the ERL based FEL amplifier a great wall-plug to optical power efficiency advantage. The optics for an amplifier is simple and compact. In addition to the general features of the high average power FEL amplifier, we will look at a 100 kW class FEL amplifier is being designed to operate on the 0.5 ampere Energy Recovery Linac which is under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Collider-Accelerator Department.

Injection molding offers a cost-efficient method for manufacturing high precision plastic optics for high-volume applications. Optical surfaces such as flats, spheres and also aspheres are meanwhile state-of-the-art in the field of plastic optics. The demand for surfaces without symmetric properties, commonly referred to as freeform surfaces, continues to rise. Currently, new mathematical approaches are under consideration which allow for new complex optical designs. Such novel optical designs strongly encourage development of new manufacturing methods. Specifically, new surface descriptions without an axis of symmetry, new ultra precision machining methods and non-symmetrical shrinkage compensation strategies have to be developed to produce freeform optical surfaces with high precision for high-volume applications. This paper will illustrate a deterministic and efficient way for the manufacturing of ultra precision injection molding tool inserts with submicron precision and show the manufacturing of replicated freeform surfaces with micrometer range shape accuracy at diameters up to 40 mm with a surface roughness of approximately 2 nm.

The procedure for evaluating the characteristics of II-VI semiconducting infrared sensor materials with a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer system will be discussed. While the method of mapping optical characteristics with a spectrometer has been employed previously, this system is highly automated compared to other systems where the optical transmission data are obtained using a FTIR system with a small stationary aperture in the optical path and moving the specimen behind the aperture. The hardware and software, including an algorithm developed for extracting cut-on wavelengths of spectra, as well as several example results, are described to illustrate the advanced level of the system. Additionally, data from transverse slices and longitudinal wafers of the aforementioned semiconductors will be used to show the accuracy of the system in predicting trends in materials such as shapes of growth interfaces and compositional uniformity.

Quantum magnetometers based on optical pumping can achieve sensitivity as high as what SQUID-based devices can attain. In this paper, we discuss the principle of operation and the optimal design of an optically pumped quantum magnetometer. The ultimate intrinsic sensitivity is calculated showing that optimal performance of the magnetometer is attained with an optical pump power of 20 μW and an operation temperature of 48°C. Results show that the ultimate intrinsic sensitivity of the quantum magnetometer that can be achieved is 327 fT/Hz1/2 over a bandwidth of 26 Hz and that this sensitivity drops to 130 pT/Hz1/2 in the presence of environmental noise. The quantum magnetometer is shown to be capable of detecting a sinusoidal magnetic field of amplitude as low as 15 pT oscillating at 25 Hz. PMID:23766716

This paper will at first explain the requirement of high speed optical transport network on forward error correction (FEC) codes in terms of code length, code rate, coding gain, burst error correction capability, error floor, latency, coding/decoding complexity. Then, a few code schemes used in current optical transport systems such as Reed-Solomon codes recommended by ITU-T G.709 and enhanced FECs listed in ITU-T, G.975.1 are introduced. Advanced codes recently developed by vendors used for 100Gbps systems and their performances are summarized. Features and special requirements on soft decoding FEC (SDFEC) especially inter-working between SDFEC and equalizer, with and without deferential coding etc. are analyzed. Some perspectives of future FEC for optical transport are also given.

The unabated demand for more capacity due to the ever-increasing internet traffic dictates that the boundaries of the state of the art maybe pushed to send more data through the network. Traditionally, this need has been satisfied by multiple wavelengths (wavelength division multiplexing), higher order modulation formats and coherent communication (either individually or combined together). WDM has the ability to reduce cost by using multiple channels within the same physical fiber, and with EDFA amplifiers, the need for O-E-O regenerators is eliminated. Moreover the availability of multiple colors allows for wavelength-based routing and network planning. Higher order modulation formats increases the capacity of the link by their ability to encode data in both the phase and amplitude of light, thereby increasing the bits/sec/Hz as compared to simple on-off keyed format. Coherent communications has also emerged as a primary means of transmitting and receiving optical data due to its support of formats that utilize both phase and amplitude to further increase the spectral efficiency of the optical channel, including quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK). Polarization multiplexing of channels can double capacity by allowing two channels to share the same wavelength by propagating on orthogonal polarization axis and is easily supported in coherent systems where the polarization tracking can be performed in the digital domain. Furthermore, the forthcoming IEEE 100 Gbit/s Ethernet Standard, 802.3ba, provides greater bandwidth, higher data rates, and supports a mixture of modulation formats. In particular, Pol-MUX QPSK is increasingly becoming the industry's format of choice as the high spectral efficiency allows for 100 Gbit/s transmission while still occupying the current 50 GHz/channel allocation of current 10 Gbit/s OOK fiber systems. In this manner, 100 Gbit/s transfer speeds using current fiber links, amplifiers, and filters

There are very important diagnostic and communication applications that receive faint electrical signals to be transmitted over long distances for capture. Optical links reduce bandwidth and distance restrictions of metal transmission lines; however, such signals are only weakly imprinted onto the optical carrier, resulting in low fidelity transmission. Increasing signal fidelity often necessitates insertion of radio-frequency (RF) amplifiers before the electro-optic modulator, but (especially at high frequencies) RF amplification results in large irreversible distortions. We have investigated the feasibility of a Sensitive and Linear Modulation by Optical Nonlinearity (SALMON) modulator to supersede RF-amplified modulators. SALMON uses cross-phase modulation, a manifestation of the Kerr effect, to enhance the modulation depth of an RF-modulated optical wave. This ultrafast process has the potential to result in less irreversible distortions as compared to a RF-amplified modulator due to the broadband nature of the Kerr effect. Here, we prove that a SALMON modulator is a feasible alternative to an RFamplified modulator, by demonstrating a sensitivity enhancement factor greater than 20 and significantly reduced distortion.

In a new optical intensity modulator, a nonlinear change in refractive index is used to balance the nonlinearities in the optical transfer function in a way that leads to highly linear optical intensity modulation.

Next generation extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optical systems are moving to higher resolution optics to accommodate smaller length scales targeted by the semiconductor industry. As the numerical apertures (NA) of the optics become larger, it becomes increasingly difficult to characterize aberrations due to experimental challenges associated with high-resolution spatial filters and geometrical effects caused by large incident angles of the test wavefront. This dissertation focuses on two methods of wavefront metrology for high resolution optical systems. The first method, lateral shearing interferometry (LSI), is a self-referencing interferometry where the test wavefront is incident on a low spatial frequency grating, and the resulting interference between the diffracted orders is used to reconstruct the wavefront aberrations. LSI has many advantages over other interferometric tests such as phase-shifting point diffraction interferometry (PS/PDI) due to its experimental simplicity, stability, relaxed coherence requirements, and its ability to scale to high numerical apertures. While LSI has historically been a qualitative test, this dissertation presents a novel quantitative investigation of the LSI interferogram. The analysis reveals the existence of systematic aberrations due to the nonlinear angular response from the diffraction grating that compromises the accuracy of LSI at medium to high NAs. In the medium NA regime (0.15 < NA < 0.35), a holographic model is presented that derives the systematic aberrations in closed form, which demonstrates an astigmatism term that scales as the square of the grating defocus. In the high NA regime (0.35 < NA), a geometrical model is introduced that describes the aberrations as a system of transcendental equations that can be solved numerically. The characterization and removal of these systematic errors is a necessary step that unlocks LSI as a viable candidate for high NA EUV optical testing. The second method is a novel image

Coupling of a far-field optical mode to electronic states of a quantum absorber or emitter is a crucial process in many applications, including infrared sensors, single molecule spectroscopy, and quantum metrology. In particular, achieving high quantum efficiency for a system with a deep subwavelength quantum absorber/emitter has remained desirable. In this Letter, a hybrid optical antenna based on coupling of a photonic nanojet to a metallo-dielectric antenna is proposed, which allows such efficient coupling. A quantum efficiency of about 50% is predicted for a semiconductor with volume of ~λ³/170. Despite the weak optical absorption coefficient of 2000 cm(-1) in the long infrared wavelength of ~8 μm, very strong far-field coupling has been achieved, as evidenced by an axial directivity gain of 16 dB, which is only 3 dB below of theoretical limit. Unlike the common phased array antenna, this structure does not require coherent sources to achieve a high directivity. The quantum efficiency and directivity gain are more than an order of magnitude higher than existing metallic, dielectric, or metallo-dielectric optical antenna. PMID:23903124

Anisotropic achiral surfaces respond differently to left- and right-hand circularly polarized light. This occurs when the orientation of the surface with respect to an otherwise achiral experimental setup makes the total geometry chiral. Such opticalactivity is demonstrated in second-harmonic generation from an anisotropic thin molecular film. The circular-difference response reverses sign as the handedness of the geometry is reversed and vanishes when the setup possesses a mirror plane. The results are explained within the electric-dipole-allowed second-order surface nonlinearity. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}

The development of optical multichannel analyzer techniques for UV/VIS spectroscopy is presented. The research focuses on the development of spectroscopic techniques for measuring high resolution spectral lineshape functions from the exciton phosphorescence in H/sub 2/-1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene. It is found that the temperature dependent frequency shifts and widths confirm a theoretical model based on an exchange theory. The exchange of low energy phonon modes which couple with excited state exciton transitions is shown to display the proper temperature dependent behavior. In addition to the techniques for using the optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) to perform low light level target integration, the use of the OMA for capturing spectral information in transient pulsed laser applications is discussed. An OMP data acquisition system developed for real-time signal processng is described. Both hardware and software interfacing considerations for control and data acquisition by a microcomputer are described. The OMA detector is described in terms of the principles behind its photoelectron detection capabilities and its design is compared with other optoelectronic devices.

The demand for fast, secure, energy efficient high capacity networks is growing. It is fuelled by transmission bandwidth needs which will support among other things the rapid penetration of multimedia applications empowering smart consumer electronics and E-businesses. All the above trigger unparallel needs for networking solutions which must offer not only high-speed low-cost "on demand" mobile connectivity but should be ecologically friendly and have low carbon footprint. The first answer to address the bandwidth needs was deployment of fibre optic technologies into transport networks. After this it became quickly obvious that the inferior electronic bandwidth (if compared to optical fiber) will further keep its upper hand on maximum implementable serial data rates. A new solution was found by introducing parallelism into data transport in the form of Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) which has helped dramatically to improve aggregate throughput of optical networks. However with these advancements a new bottleneck has emerged at fibre endpoints where data routers must process the incoming and outgoing traffic. Here, even with the massive and power hungry electronic parallelism routers today (still relying upon bandwidth limiting electronics) do not offer needed processing speeds networks demands. In this paper we will discuss some novel unconventional approaches to address network scalability leading to energy savings via advance optical signal processing. We will also investigate energy savings based on advanced network management through nodes hibernation proposed for Optical IP networks. The hibernation reduces the network overall power consumption by forming virtual network reconfigurations through selective nodes groupings and by links segmentations and partitionings.

The demand for fast, secure, energy efficient high capacity networks is growing. It is fuelled by transmission bandwidth needs which will support among other things the rapid penetration of multimedia applications empowering smart consumer electronics and E-businesses. All the above trigger unparallel needs for networking solutions which must offer not only high-speed low-cost "on demand" mobile connectivity but should be ecologically friendly and have low carbon footprint. The first answer to address the bandwidth needs was deployment of fibre optic technologies into transport networks. After this it became quickly obvious that the inferior electronic bandwidth (if compared to optical fiber) will further keep its upper hand on maximum implementable serial data rates. A new solution was found by introducing parallelism into data transport in the form of Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) which has helped dramatically to improve aggregate throughput of optical networks. However with these advancements a new bottleneck has emerged at fibre endpoints where data routers must process the incoming and outgoing traffic. Here, even with the massive and power hungry electronic parallelism routers today (still relying upon bandwidth limiting electronics) do not offer needed processing speeds networks demands. In this paper we will discuss some novel unconventional approaches to address network scalability leading to energy savings via advance optical signal processing. We will also investigate energy savings based on advanced network management through nodes hibernation proposed for Optical IP networks. The hibernation reduces the network overall power consumption by forming virtual network reconfigurations through selective nodes groupings and by links segmentations and partitionings.

Optical femtosecond self-channeling in gases, also called femtosecond filamentation, has become an important area of research in high field nonlinear optics. Filamentation occurs when laser light self-focuses in a gas owing to self-induced nonlinearity, and then defocuses in the plasma generated by the self-focused beam. The result of this process repeating itself multiple times is an extended region of plasma formation. Filamentation studies have been motivated by the extremely broad range of applications, especially in air, including pulse compression, supercontinuum generation, broadband high power terahertz pulse generation, discharge triggering and guiding, and remote sensing. Despite the worldwide work in filamentation, the fundamental gas nonlinearities governing self-focusing had never been directly measured in the range of laser intensity up to and including the ionization threshold. This dissertation presents the first such measurements. We absolutely measured the temporal refractive index change of O2, N2, Ar, H2, D2 and N2O caused by highfield ultrashort optical pulses with single-shot supercontinuum spectral interferometry, cleanly separating for the first time the instantaneous electronic and delayed rotational nonlinear response in diatomic gases. We conclusively showed that a recent claim by several European groups that the optical bound electron nonlinearity saturates and goes negative is not correct. Such a phenomenon would preclude the need for plasma to provide the defocusing contribution for filamentation. Our results show that the 'standard model of filamentation', where the defocusing is provided by plasma, is correct. Finally, we demonstrated that high repetition rate femtosecond laser pulses filamenting in gases can generate long-lived gas density `holes' which persist on millisecond timescales, long after the plasma has recombined. Gas density decrements up to ~20% have been measured. The density hole refilling is dominated by thermal

Historically, high resolution, high slew rate optics have been heavy, bulky, and expensive. Recent advances in MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology and micro-machining may change this. Specifically, the advent of steerable sub-millimeter sized mirror arrays could provide the breakthrough technology for producing very small-scale high-performance optical systems. For example, an array of steerable MEMS mirrors could be the building blocks for a Fresnel mirror of controllable focal length and direction of view. When coupled with a convex parabolic mirror the steerable array could realize a micro-scale pan, tilt and zoom system that provides full CCD sensor resolution over the desired field of view with no moving parts (other than MEMS elements). This LDRD provided the first steps towards the goal of a new class of small-scale high-performance optics based on MEMS technology. A large-scale, proof of concept system was built to demonstrate the effectiveness of an optical configuration applicable to producing a small-scale (< 1cm) pan and tilt imaging system. This configuration consists of a color CCD imager with a narrow field of view lens, a steerable flat mirror, and a convex parabolic mirror. The steerable flat mirror directs the camera's narrow field of view to small areas of the convex mirror providing much higher pixel density in the region of interest than is possible with a full 360 deg. imaging system. Improved image correction (dewarping) software based on texture mapping images to geometric solids was developed. This approach takes advantage of modern graphics hardware and provides a great deal of flexibility for correcting images from various mirror shapes. An analytical evaluation of blur spot size and axi-symmetric reflector optimization were performed to address depth of focus issues that occurred in the proof of concept system. The resulting equations will provide the tools for developing future system designs.

Analyses were performed to characterize the radiation field in the vicinity of the Final Optics Assemblies (FOAs) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) due to neutron activation following Deuterium-Deuterium (DD), Tritium-Hydrogen-Deuterium (THD), and Deuterium-Tritium (DT) shots associated with different phases of the NIF operations. The activation of the structural components of the FOAs produces one of the larger sources of gamma radiation and is a key factor in determining the stay out time between shots to ensure worker protection. This study provides estimates of effective dose rates in the vicinity of a single FOA and concludes that the DD and THD targets produce acceptable dose rates within 10 minutes following a shot while about 6-days of stay out time is suggested following DT shots. Studies are ongoing to determine the combined effects of multiple FOAs and other components present in the Target Bay on stay-out time and worker dose.

A laser hazard analysis was performed for the SNL Active Polarimeter Optical System based on the ANSI Standard Z136.1-2000, American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers and the ANSI Standard Z136.6-2000, American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers Outdoors. The Active Polarimeter Optical System (APOS) uses a pulsed, near-infrared, chromium doped lithium strontium aluminum fluoride (Cr:LiSAF) crystal laser in conjunction with a holographic diffuser and lens to illuminate a scene of interest. The APOS is intended for outdoor operations. The system is mounted on a height adjustable platform (6 feet to 40 feet) and sits atop a tripod that points the beam downward. The beam can be pointed from nadir to as much as 60 degrees off of nadir producing an illuminating spot geometry that can vary from circular (at nadir) to elliptical in shape (off of nadir). The JP Innovations crystal Cr:LiSAF laser parameters are presented in section II. The illuminating laser spot size is variable and can be adjusted by adjusting the separation distance between the lens and the holographic diffuser. The system is adjusted while platform is at the lowest level. The laser spot is adjusted for a particular spot size at a particular distance (elevation) from the laser by adjusting the separation distance (d{sub diffuser}) to predetermined values. The downward pointing angle is also adjusted before the platform is raised to the selected operation elevation.

Since first light in 1997, the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) telescope at the Maui Space Surveillance Site has used an active system for figure control that applies forces on the primary mirror and positions the secondary mirror to minimize wavefront aberrations. Periodically a wavefront optimization loop is closed with a Shack-Hartmann WaveFront Sensor (WFS), 84 primary mirror force actuators and three secondary mirror translation actuators. This optimization loop is used with a series of stellar targets to find coefficients for each force or position in a sine and cosine of elevation model. During normal telescope operation when the WFS is not in use, this elevation angle dependant model is used to control the primary mirror forces and secondary mirror positions. Recently the system was upgraded with new computers, electronics and algorithms. The primary goal of the upgrade was to replace obsolete and no longer maintainable hardware with secondary goals of reducing the effort required to update the wavefront model, and improving the final operational wavefront performance. This paper discusses the algorithms implemented to achieve the secondary goals and initial performance results. In order to eliminate erroneous data from the WFS, the processing algorithms were modified to dynamically assign pixels on the WFS camera to lenslets, and closed loop tracking of the gimbal was implemented using a camera that shares the focal plane with the WFS. These changes permit the elimination of human operator review from the wavefront optimization loop. The original system collected data for either a single star or a series of stars and then replaced either the constant or the complete model at the end of a data collection session. In the revised system, each wavefront measurement is used for a Kalman update to the model. Operationally, the Kalman updates allow data to be collected intermittently as time is available between other telescope tasks. By combining the

The secure transmission of data is critical to governments, military organizations, financial institutions, health care providers and other enterprises. The primary method of securing in-transit data is though data encryption. A number of encryption methods exist but the fundamental approach is to assume an eavesdropper has access to the encrypted message but does not have the computing capability to decrypt the message in a timely fashion. Essentially, the strength of security depends on the complexity of the encryption method and the resources available to the eavesdropper. The development of future technologies, most notably quantum computers and quantum computing, is often cited as a direct threat to traditional encryption schemes. It seems reasonable that additional effort should be placed on prohibiting the eavesdropper from coming into possession of the encrypted message in the first place. One strategy for denying possession of the encrypted message is to secure the physical layer of the communications path. Because the majority of transmitted information is over fiber-optic networks, it seems appropriate to consider ways of enhancing the integrity and security of the fiber-based physical layer. The purpose of this research is to investigate the properties of light, as they are manifested in single mode fiber, as a means of insuring the integrity and security of the physical layer of a fiber-optic based communication link. Specifically, the approach focuses on the behavior of polarization in single mode fiber, as it is shown to be especially sensitive to fiber geometry. Fiber geometry is necessarily modified during the placement of optical taps. The problem of detecting activity associated with the placement of an optical tap is herein approached as a supervised machine learning anomaly identification task. The inputs include raw polarization measurements along with additional features derived from various visualizations of the raw data (the inputs are

The broad-band ROSAT/EXOSAT X-ray spectra of six Seyfert 1 galaxies are fitted by a model consisting of a direct power law and a component due to reflection/reprocessing from a partially ionized, optically thick medium. The reflected spectrum contains emission features from various elements in the soft X-ray range. In all objects but one (Mrk 335), the fit is satisfactory, and no additional soft X-ray excess is required by the data. This means that in most sources there is no need for the thermal 'big blue bumps' to extend into soft X-rays, and the soft X-ray excesses reported previously can be explained by reflection/reprocessing. Satisfactory fits are obtained for a medium ionized by a source radiating at less than or approximately 15% of the Eddington rate. The fits require that the reflection is enhanced relative to an isotropically emitting source above a flat disk. The necessary high effectiveness of reflection in the soft X-ray band requires strong soft thermal flux dominating over hard X-rays.

This poster will highlight on-going research at the Virginia Tech Fiber & Electro-Optics Research Center (FEORC) in the area of thin films on optical fibers. Topics will include the sputter deposition of metals and metal; alloys onto optical fiber and fiber optic sensors for innovative applications. Specific information will be available on thin film fiber optic hydrogen sensors, corrosion sensors, and metal-coated optical fiber for high temperature aerospace applications.

We have developed an off-line facility for very precise characterization of the reflectance and spatial resolution of the grazing incidence Woelter Type 1 x-ray optics used at Nova. The primary component of the facility is a high brightness, ``point`` x-ray source consisting of a focussed DC electron beam incident onto a precision manipulated target/pinhole array. The data are recorded with a selection of detectors. For imaging measurements we use direct exposure x-ray film modules or an x-ray CCD camera. For energy-resolved reflectance measurements, we use lithium drifted silicon detectors and a proportional counter. An in situ laser alignment system allows precise location and rapid periodic alignment verification of the x-ray point source, the statically mounted Woelter optic, and the chosen detector.

As new large-scale astronomical surveys greatly increase the number of objects targeted and discoveries made, the requirement for efficient follow-up observations is crucial. Adaptive optics imaging, which compensates for the image-blurring effects of Earth's turbulent atmosphere, is essential for these surveys, but the scarcity, complexity and high demand of current systems limit their availability for following up large numbers of targets. To address this need, we have engineered and implemented Robo-AO, a fully autonomous laser adaptive optics and imaging system that routinely images over 200 objects per night with an acuity 10 times sharper at visible wavelengths than typically possible from the ground. By greatly improving the angular resolution, sensitivity, and efficiency of 1-3 m class telescopes, we have eliminated a major obstacle in the follow-up of the discoveries from current and future large astronomical surveys.

Since the first commercial introduction in the 1980s, optical fiber technology has undergone an almost exponential growth. Currently over 2 billion fiber kilometers are deployed globally with 2014 global optical fiber production exceeding 300 million fiber kilometers. 1 Along with the staggering growth in optical fiber production and deployment, an increase in optical fiber technologies and applications has also followed. Although the main use of optical fibers by far has been for traditional data transmission and communications, numerous new applications are introduced each year. Initially the practical application of optical fibers was limited by cost and sensitivity of the optical fibers to stress, radiation, and other environmental factors. Tremendous advances have taken place in optical fiber design and materials allowing optical fibers to be deployed in increasingly harsh environments with exposure to increased mechanical and environmental stresses while maintaining high reliability. With the increased reliability, lower cost, and greatly expanded range of optical fiber types now available, new optical fiber deployments in harsh and high radiation environments is seeing a tremendous increase for data, communications, and sensing applications. An overview of key optical fiber applications in data, communications, and sensing for harsh environments in industrial, energy exploration, energy generation, energy transmission, and high radiation applications will be presented. Specific recent advances in new radiation resistant optical fiber types, other specialty optical fibers, optical fiber coatings, and optical fiber cable materials will be discussed to illustrate long term reliability for deployment of optical fibers in harsh and high radiation environments.

Beam-transport codes have been around for as long as thirty years and high-order codes, second-order at least, for close to twenty years. Before this period of design-code development, there was considerable high-order treatment, but it was almost entirely analytical. History has a way of repeating itself, and the current excitement in the field of high-order optics is based on the application of Lie algebra and the so-called differential algebra to beam-transport codes, both of which are highly analytical in foundation. Some of the main design tools available today will be described, giving a little of their history, and will conclude by trying to convey some of the excitement in the field through a brief description of Lie and differential algebra. 30 refs., 7 figs.

A multi-wavelength light-emitting diode (LED) and laser diode (LD) based optical imaging system was developed to visualize the changes in cerebral blood flow, oxygenation following functional activation simultaneously in rodent cortex. The 2-D blood flow image was accessed by laser speckle contrast imaging, and the spectroscopic imaging of intrinsic signal was used for the calculation of oxyhemoglobin (HbO), deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) and total hemoglobin (HbT) concentration. The combination of spectroscopic imaging and laser speckle contrast imaging provides the capability to simultaneously investigate the spatial and temporal blood flow and hemoglobin concentration changes with high resolution, which may lead to a better understanding of the coupling between neuronal activation and vascular responses. The optical imaging system been built is compact and convenient to investigators. And it is reliable to acquire raw data. In present study, the hemodynamic responses to cortical spreading depression (CSD) in parietal cortex of ~-chloralose/urethan anesthetized rats were demonstrated.

High performance functional imaging is needed for dynamic measurements of neural processing in retina. Emerging techniques of visual prosthesis also require advanced methodology for reliable validation of electromagnetic stimulation of the retina. Imaging of fast intrinsic optical responses associated with neural activation promises a variety of technical advantages over traditional single and multi-channel electrophysiological techniques for these purposes, but the application of fast optical signals for neural imaging has been limited by low signal to noise ratio and high background light intensity. However, using optimized near infrared probe light and improved optical systems, we have improved the optical signals substantially, allowing single pass measurements. Fast photodiode measurements typically disclose dynamic transmitted light changes of whole retina at the level of 10 -4 dI/I, where dI is the dynamic optical change and I is the baseline light intensity. Using a fast high performance CCD, we imaged fast intrinsic optical responses from isolated retina activated by a visible light flash. Fast, high resolution imaging disclosed larger local optical responses, and showed evidence of multiple response components with both negative- and positive-going signals, on different timescales. Darkfield imaging techniques further enhanced the sensitivity of optical measurements. At single cell resolution, brightfield imaging disclosed maxima of optical responses ~5% dI/I, while darkfield imaging showed maxima of optical responses exceeding 10% dI/I. In comparison with simultaneous electrophysiological recording, optical imaging provided much better localized patterns of response over the activated area of the retina.

Study on high speed indoor wireless optical LAN system enabling 100Mbps signal transmission with low bit error rate (10-9) is presented. To realize the optical LAN system handling 100 Mbps signal, a directed line of sight (LOS) system is adopted as the optical receiver sensitivity for a bit error rate of 10-9 for 100 Mbps signals is fairly large. In the system, new approaches are introduced: WDM technology which enables bi-directional transmission in full duplex manner is applied using a 1.3 micrometers laser diode for down-link and 0.65 micrometers red laser diode for up-link light sources. As the wavelengths of the two lasers are quite separated from each other, this WDM technology brings an advantage that two kind of semiconductor materials can be used for detectors; GaInAs is used for down-link while Si is applied for up-link. GaInAs PD cannot detect the up-link laser light of 0.65 micrometers and Si PD or APD cannot detect the down-link laser light of 1.3micrometers . Therefore full duplex transmission can be achieved in this configuration. In the indoor wireless optical LAN system, one of the critical points is the transmitter configuration for down- link which enables to deliver optical power enough for 100 Mbps transmission to user areas as wide as possible with inexpensive prices. To realize the point, a special 1.3micrometers laser diode, a spot-size converter integrated laser (SS-LD), is introduced in company with convex lens and an object lens to deliver optical power to areas as wide as possible. As the far-field patterns of the SS-LD are fairly narrow, most of the output power of the LD could be collected to and spread wide by the object lens of 40 magnifications. Using the device, 3m diameter circle area in the plane 2m apart from the 1.3micrometers SS-LD emitting 20 mW optical power, could receive optical power above the receiver sensitivity for a bit error rate of 10-9 for 100 Mbps signals. The visible red light is convenient for not only position

The objectives of this study were: (1) to design a 400 Mbps optical transceiver terminal to operate from a high-altitude balloon-borne platform in order to permit the quantitative evaluation of a space-qualifiable optical communications system design, (2) to design an atmospheric propagation experiment to operate in conjunction with the terminal to measure the degrading effects of the atmosphere on the links, and (3) to design typical optical communications experiments for space-borne laboratories in the 1980-1990 time frame. As a result of the study, a transceiver package has been configured for demonstration flights during late 1974. The transceiver contains a 400 Mbps transmitter, a 400 Mbps receiver, and acquisition and tracking receivers. The transmitter is a Nd:YAG, 200 Mhz, mode-locked, CW, diode-pumped laser operating at 1.06 um requiring 50 mW for 6 db margin. It will be designed to implement Pulse Quaternary Modulation (PQM). The 400 Mbps receiver utilizes a Dynamic Crossed-Field Photomultiplier (DCFP) detector. The acquisition receiver is a Quadrant Photomultiplier Tube (QPMT) and receives a 400 Mbps signal chopped at 0.1 Mhz.

Cardiac tissue is an excitable system that can support complex spatiotemporal dynamics, including instabilities (arrhythmias) with lethal consequences. While over the last two decades optical mapping of excitation (voltage and calcium dynamics) has facilitated the detailed characterization of such arrhythmia events, until recently, no precise tools existed to actively interrogate cardiac dynamics in space and time. In this work, we discuss the combined use of new methods for space- and time-resolved optogenetic actuation and simultaneous fast, high resolution optical imaging of cardiac excitation waves. First, the mechanisms, limitations and unique features of optically induced responses in cardiomyocytes are outlined. These include the ability to bidirectionally control the membrane potential using depolarizing and hyperpolarizing opsins; the ability to induce prolonged sustained voltage changes; and the ability to control refractoriness and the shape of the cardiac action potential. At the syncytial tissue level, we discuss optogenetically enabled experimentation on cell-cell coupling, alteration of conduction properties and termination of propagating waves by light. Specific attention is given to space- and time-resolved application of optical stimulation using dynamic light patterns to perturb ongoing activation and to probe electrophysiological properties at desired tissue locations. The combined use of optical methods to perturb and to observe the system can offer new tools for precise feedback control of cardiac electrical activity, not available previously with pharmacological and electrical stimulation. These new experimental tools for all-optical electrophysiology allow for a level of precise manipulation and quantification of cardiac dynamics comparable in robustness to the computational setting, and can provide new insights into pacemaking, arrhythmogenesis and suppression or cardioversion. PMID:26857427

An active all-opticalhigh-efficiency broadband terahertz device based on an organometal halide perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3, MAPbI3)/inorganic (Si) structure is investigated. Spectrally broadband modulation of the THz transmission is obtained in the frequency range from 0.2 to 2.6 THz, and a modulation depth of nearly 100% can be achieved with a low-level photoexcitation power (˜0.4 W/cm2). Both THz transmission and reflection were suppressed in the MAPbI3/Si structure by an external continuous-wave (CW) laser. Enhancement of the charge carrier density at the MAPbI3/Si interface is crucial for photo-induced absorption. The results show that the proposed high-efficiency broadband optically controlled terahertz device based on the MAPbI3/Si structure has been realized.

Conventional three-dimensional (3D) chiral media can exhibit opticalactivity for transmitted waves, but opticalactivity for reflected waves is negligible. This work shows that mirror asymmetry of the experimental arrangement—extrinsic 3D chirality—leads to giant opticalactivity for reflected waves with fundamentally different characteristics. It is demonstrated experimentally that extrinsically 3D-chiral illumination of a lossy metasurface backed by a mirror enables tunable circular dichroism and circular birefringence as well as perfect absorption of circularly polarized waves. In contrast, such polarization phenomena vanish for conventional opticallyactive media backed by a mirror.

High data rate and long range free space lasercom links require multi-watt optical transmitter power, which creates a need for high power redundancy switches to ensure high payload reliability. A high power optical switch (HPOS) with less than 0.15 dB loss and capable of switching more than 40 watts of optical power in a single mode fiber has been previously demonstrated in the Transformational Satellite Communication System program. Prototype switches, in either 1x2 or 2x2 configuration, have been subjected to pyro-shock test, vibration test, and vacuum operation. These switches showed no performance degradation as a result of these tests. Three prototypes went through 60,000 35-watt switching cycles and over 30 million low power switching cycles, and the switches showed no mechanical failure. The HPOS life is about 3.2 million switching cycles with a definition of 3-dB degradation in on/off extinction ratio, which is well suited for space applications.

A novel micro high-speed 2x2 magneto-optic switch and its optical route, which is used in high-speed all-optical communication network, is designed and analyzed in this paper. The study of micro high-speed magneto-optic switch mainly involves the optical route and high-speed control technique design. The optical route design covers optical route design of polarization in optical switch, the performance analysis and material selection of magneto-optic crystal and magnetic path design in Faraday rotator. The research of high-speed control technique involves the study of nanosecond pulse generator, high-speed magnetic field and its control technique etc. High-speed current transients from nanosecond pulse generator are used to switch the magnetization of the magneto-optic crystal, which propagates a 1550nm optical beam. The optical route design schemes and electronic circuits of high-speed control technique are both simulated on computer and test by the experiments respectively. The experiment results state that the nanosecond pulse generator can output the pulse with rising edge time 3~35ns, voltage amplitude 10~90V and pulse width 10~100ns. Under the control of CPU singlechip, the optical beam can be stably switched and the switching time is less than 1μs currently.

The goal of this research is to better understand the basic physics that governs the behavior of short-pulsed light propagating in scattering media where either the host medium or the scattering particles exhibit emission or absorption interact with the incident light in form of absorption or stimulated emission. The temporal and spectral dynamics from the interactions of opticallyactive disordered-media with ultrashort optical pulses is the focus of the research performed in this thesis. The interaction processes studied are optical gain, spectral narrowing, fluorescence and pulse lifetime reduction and transport of ultrashort optical pulses in disordered media containing opticallyactive discrete scattering particles. Linear and nonlinear effects are presented where the propagation of picosecond and femtosecond laser pulses in active disordered media is measured experimentally and compared with the theories of Boltzmann radiative transport and diffusive propagation of radiation in disordered media. Active media can be involved in optical processes in disordered media where either the propagation of optical radiation can result in gain or absorption upon optical excitation. A study of optical scattering in non-discrete media such as the biological heterogeneously-continuous scattering tissues is carried out as well. Lasing in random media is one of the outcomes of these results. The optical gain of optically excited active media is divided into clear subdivisions of Amplified Spontaneous Emission, Stimulated Emission and Laser Emission by characterizing them by their temporal and spectral emission.

The eventual, widespread insertion of Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) into the marketplace rests fundamentally on the ability to produce viable components that maximize optical performance while minimizing power consumption and size. In addition, the incorporation of optical reconfigurability into custom MOEMS devices offers an extra degree of freedom not possible with conventional components. Active control of surface topology allows for one component to perform multiple functions thus reducing cost and complexity. This paper will focus on the current status of the MOEMS research program at the University at Albany Institute for Materials" (UAIM) NanoFab 200 with several examples described to illustrate component and system development. In particular, among the MOEMS research portfolio at UAIM, the development of selected MOEMS-based, activeoptics will be discussed. This active control of diffraction and reflection forms the basis for the utility of such devices. Leveraging the extensive research expertise on the patented MEMS Compound Grating (MCG), emphasis will be placed on the extension of the approach to novel designs, materials and fabrication methods to yield low power, high performance prototypes. The main focus of this paper is on the development of a polymer version (including sacrificial layer, in some designs) of the MCG which allows for ease of fabrication and a reduced electrostatic actuation voltage. Following a system design effort, several generations of the component were fabricated to optimize the process flow. Component metrology, electromechanical characterization and initial results of optical tests will be reported. A second example presented is the design and prototype fabrication of a spring micrograting using a customized SOI process. This highly flexible component builds on the MCG concept and yields an order of magnitude reduction in actuation voltage. These examples will be presented against a backdrop of the broad UAIM

The invention is an optical cell for containment of chemicals under conditions of high temperature and high pressure. The cell is formed of a vitreous silica tube, two optical windows comprising a vitreous silica rod inserted into the ends of a tube, and fused into position in the tube ends. Windows are spaced apart to form a cavity enclosed by the tube and the windows. A hole is drilled radially through the tube and into the cavity. Another vitreous silica tube is fused to the silica tube around the hole to form the stem, which is perpendicular to the long axis of the tube. The open end of the stem is used to load chemicals into the cavity. Then the stem may be sealed, and if desired, it may be shortened in order to reduce the volume of the cavity, which extends into the stem.

We have implemented highly stable and tunable frequency references using opticalhigh finesse cavities which incorporate a piezo actuator. As piezo material we used ceramic PZT, crystalline quartz, or PZN-PT single crystals. Lasers locked to these cavities show a relative frequency stability better than 1× 10^{-14}, which is most likely not limited by the piezo actuators. The piezo cavities can be electrically tuned over more than one free spectral range (>1.5 GHz) with only a minor decrease in frequency stability. Furthermore, we present a novel cavity design, where the piezo actuator is prestressed between the cavity spacer components. This design features a hermetically sealable intra cavity volume suitable for, e.g., cavity enhanced spectroscopy.

The extended lifetime of the IUE satellite has provided an unique and unanticipated opportunity to examine the long-term evolution of magnetic activity on active chromospheric stars. We propose to obtain further IUE observations of the highlyactive RS CVn stars V711 Tauri, lambda Andromedae, II Pegasi, and UX Arietis in conjunction with groundbased optical and radio observations, and possibly ROSAT X-ray observations. In addition we would continue IUE observations of the unusual rapidly rotating early G giant, FK Comae, which, although not in the RS CVn category, shares a similarly high level of magnetic activity. These five stars have the most extensive IUE archival coverage for stars of their type and have almost continuous ground-based photometric coverage from about 1975 onward. We aim to trace the long-term development of magnetic activity on these stars: a detailed study of the UV emission-like fluxes will enable us to follow the variations in chromospheric and transition-region activity over an interval of 12-16 years. Optical observations reveal variations in photospheric (starspot) activity: the starspot regions are large (up to 30% of the stellar surface) and vary significantly with time. The main aim of the proposed research is to examine the relationship between chromospheric, transition-region, and photospheric active regions. Elucidation of the role of white-light faculae vis-a-vis spots in effecting stellar irradiance changes is also desirable.

Designing optical components such as polarizers on substrates with high mechanical deformability have potential to realize new device platforms in photonics, wearable electronics, and sensors. Conventional manufacturing approaches that rely highly on top-down lithography, deposition and the etching process can easily confront compatibility issues and high fabrication complexity. Therefore, an alternative integration scheme is necessary. Here, we demonstrate fabrication of highly flexible and stretchable wire grid polarizers (WGPs) by printing bottom-up grown Ge or Ge/Si core/shell nanowires (NWs) on device substrates in a highly dense and aligned fashion. The maximum contrast ratio of 104 between transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) fields and above 99% (maximum 99.7%) of light blocking efficiency across the visible spectrum range are achieved. Further systematic analyses are performed both in experimental and numerical models to reveal the correspondence between physical factors (coverage ratio of NW arrays and diameter) and polarization efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrate distinctive merits of our approach: (i) high flexibility in the choice of substrates such as glass, plastic, or elastomer; (ii) easy combination with additional novel functionalities, for example, air permeability, flexibility/stretchability, biocompatibility, and a skin-like low mechanical modulus; (iii) selective printing of polarizers on a designated local area. PMID:27537105

Remote sensing, high resolution FTS instruments often contain three primary optical subsystems: Fore-Optics, Interferometer Optics, and Post, or Detector Optics. We discuss the alignment of a double-pass FTS containing a cat's-eye retro-reflector. Also, the alignment of fore-optics containing confocal paraboloids with a reflecting field stop which relays a field image onto a camera is discussed.

Microcameras for computers, mobile phones, watches, security system and credit cards is a very promising future market. Semiconductor industry is now able to integrate light reception, signal amplification and processing in a low- power-consuming microchip of a few mm2 size. Active pixel sensors supply each pixel in an image sensor with an individually programmable functionality. Beside the electronic receptor chip, a highly miniaturized lens system is required. Compared to the progress in microelectronics, optics has not yet made a significant step. Today's microcamera lenses are usually a downscaled version of a classical lens system and rarely smaller than 3 mm X 3 mm X 3 mm. This lagging of optics is quite surprising. Biologists have systematically studied all types of natural eye sensors since the 18th Century. Mother Nature provides a variety of highly effective examples for miniaturized imaging system. Single-aperture systems are the appropriate solution if the size is a free design parameter. If the budget is tight and optics limited to size, nature prefers multiple-aperture systems, the so-called compound eyes. As compound eyes are limited in resolution and night view, a cluster of single-aperture eyes, as jumping spiders use, is probably a better solution. The recent development in micro- optics offers the chance to imitate such natural design concepts. We have investigated miniaturized imaging systems based on microlens array and natural optical design concepts. Practical limitations for system design, packaging and assembling are given. Examples for micro-optical components and imaging systems are presented.

In order to obtain high quality image of the aero optical remote sensor, it is important to analysis its thermal-optical performance on the condition of high speed and high altitude. Especially for the key imaging assembly, such as optical window, the temperature variation and temperature gradient can result in defocus and aberrations in optical system, which will lead to the poor quality image. In order to improve the optical performance of a high speed aerial camera optical window, the thermal/structural/optical integrated design method is developed. Firstly, the flight environment of optical window is analyzed. Based on the theory of aerodynamics and heat transfer, the convection heat transfer coefficient is calculated. The temperature distributing of optical window is simulated by the finite element analysis software. The maximum difference in temperature of the inside and outside of optical window is obtained. Then the deformation of optical window under the boundary condition of the maximum difference in temperature is calculated. The optical window surface deformation is fitted in Zernike polynomial as the interface, the calculated Zernike fitting coefficients is brought in and analyzed by CodeV Optical Software. At last, the transfer function diagrams of the optical system on temperature field are comparatively analyzed. By comparing and analyzing the result, it can be obtained that the optical path difference caused by thermal deformation of the optical window is 149.6 nm, which is under PV <=1 4λ .The simulation result meets the requirements of optical design very well. The above study can be used as an important reference for other optical window designs.

Present car-headlamps can adapt their light distribution to the traffic situation only in a predefined way. The next generation of headlamps will offer a more flexible adaptation of their light distribution like an adaptive Cut-Off-Line in "Advanced Frontlighting Systems" (AFS). Addressable light sources in future active headlamps enable functions like glare free high beam or marking light. There are several possibilities to design such an addressable light source. In this contribution one solution using a digital micro mirror device (DMD) is presented. With this device an adaptive light distribution can be generated by modulating every pixel of the DMD individually. For the design of an optical system for a DMD headlamp a DMD-Projector was analyzed. The procedure of generating a light distribution can be divided into two processes: a.) illumination of DMD b.) projecting the image of the DMD on the street. In a DMD projector the illumination of a DMD is a very complex optical system with many optical elements. Some of these optical elements are not necessary for a car headlamp because of different requirements for car headlamps and DMD projectors. The illumination system can be simplified if these elements are eliminated. Also the aspect ratio of the imaging system for the DMD has to change 4:3 (DMD) to 7:2 (light distribution on the street).

Current underwater protection systems are complex expensive devices consisting of multiple electronic sensing elements. The detection and identification of divers and small submerged watercraft requires very high image resolution. The high price of an array of conventional piezoelectric transducers and associated electronic components makes this solution feasible for localized implementations, but the protection of large stretches of coastline requires a different approach. We present a novel multichannel sonar design that augments current active sonar transducers with a passive fiber-optic multichannel acoustic emission sensing array. The system provides continuous monitoring of the acoustic wave reflections emitted by a single projector, yielding information about the size and shape of approaching objects. A novel fiber hydrophone enclosure is utilized to dramatically enhance the sensor response to the sonar frequency, while suppressing out-of-band sound sources and noise. The ability of a fiber hydrophone to respond to acoustic emissions is based on established fiber Bragg grating sensing techniques. In this approach, the energy of an acoustic wave is converted into the modulation of the in-fiber optical transducer's optical properties. The obtained results demonstrate significant response of the designed fiber optic hydrophone to the incident acoustic wave over the frequency domain from 1-80 kHz. Our approach allows selective tuning of the sensor to a particular acoustic frequency, as well as potential extension of the spectral response to 300- 400kHz.2

Procedures for performing polarization ray tracing through birefringent media are presented in a form compatible with the standard methods of geometric ray tracing. The birefringent materials treated include the following: anisotropic opticallyactive materials such as quartz, non-opticallyactive uniaxial materials such as calcite, and isotropic opticallyactive materials such as mercury sulfide or organic liquids. Refraction and reflection algorithms are presented which compute both ray directions and wave directions. Methods for computing polarization modes, refractive indices, optical path lengths, and Fresnel transmission and reflection coefficients are also specified.

The present application provides a fiber optic sensor system. The fiber optic sensor system may include a small diameter bellows, a large diameter bellows, and a fiber optic pressure sensor attached to the small diameter bellows. Contraction of the large diameter bellows under an applied pressure may cause the small diameter bellows to expand such that the fiber optic pressure sensor may measure the applied pressure.

Geometric optics is one of the difficult topics for students within physics discipline. Students learn better via student-centered active learning environments than the teacher-centered learning environments. So this study aimed to present a guide for middle school teachers to teach lenses in geometric optics via active learning environment…

A small sized electro-optic voltage sensor capable of accurate measurement of high voltages without contact with a conductor or voltage source is provided. When placed in the presence of an electric field, the sensor receives an input beam of electromagnetic radiation. A polarization beam displacer separates the input beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations and causes one linearly polarized beam to impinge a crystal at a desired angle independent of temperature. The Pockels effect elliptically polarizes the beam as it travels through the crystal. A reflector redirects the beam back through the crystal and the beam displacer. On the return path, the polarization beam displacer separates the elliptically polarized beam into two output beams of orthogonal linear polarization. The system may include a detector for converting the output beams into electrical signals and a signal processor for determining the voltage based on an analysis of the output beams.

Optical metamaterials have unique engineered optical properties. These properties arise from the careful organization of plasmonic elements. Transitioning these properties from laboratory experiments to functional materials may lead to disruptive technologies for controlling light. A significant issue impeding the realization of optical metamaterial devices is the need for robust and efficient assembly strategies to govern the order of the nanometer-sized elements while enabling macroscopic throughput. This mini-review critically highlights recent approaches and challenges in creating these artificial materials. As the ability to assemble optical metamaterials improves, new unforeseen opportunities may arise for revolutionary optical devices. PMID:26560623

We show that polyoxometalates (POMs) are an excellent redox-active acceptor on which to base high performance 2(nd) order non-linear optical (NLO) chromophores. This is demonstrated through three new organoimido-Lindqvist derivatives with HRS β0-values exceeding those of any dipolar organic system with comparable donor, π-system and absorption profile. Thus, organoimido POMs may provide a new generation of high performance, high transparency, and potentially redox-switchable NLO materials. PMID:26815652

A small sized electro-optic voltage sensor capable of accurate measurement of high levels of voltages without contact with a conductor or voltage source is provided. When placed in the presence of an electric field, the sensor receives an input beam of electromagnetic radiation into the sensor. A polarization beam displacer serves as a filter to separate the input beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations. The beam displacer is oriented in such a way as to rotate the linearly polarized beams such that they enter a Pockels crystal having at a preferred angle of 45 degrees. The beam displacer is therefore capable of causing a linearly polarized beam to impinge a crystal at a desired angle independent of temperature. The Pockels electro-optic effect induces a differential phase shift on the major and minor axes of the input beam as it travels through the Pockels crystal, which causes the input beam to be elliptically polarized. A reflecting prism redirects the beam back through the crystal and the beam displacer. On the return path, the polarization beam displacer separates the elliptically polarized beam into two output beams of orthogonal linear polarization representing the major and minor axes. The system may include a detector for converting the output beams into electrical signals, and a signal processor for determining the voltage based on an analysis of the output beams. The output beams are amplitude modulated by the frequency of the electric field and the amplitude of the output beams is proportional to the magnitude of the electric field, which is related to the voltage being measured.

This paper introduces an innovative robust and nonlinear control design methodology for high-performance servosystems in optical telescopes. The dynamics of optical telescopes typically vary according to azimuth and altitude angles, temperature, friction, speed and acceleration, leading to nonlinearities and plant parameter uncertainty. The methodology proposed in this paper combines robust Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) techniques with nonlinear switching strategies that achieve simultaneously the best characteristics of a set of very active (fast) robust QFT controllers and very stable (slow) robust QFT controllers. A general dynamic model and a variety of specifications from several different commercially available amateur Newtonian telescopes are used for the controller design as well as the simulation and validation. It is also proven that the nonlinear/switching controller is stable for any switching strategy and switching velocity, according to described frequency conditions based on common quadratic Lyapunov functions (CQLF) and the circle criterion.

For high volume consumer products using optical technology, plastics injection molding is a very suitable technology. In optical component fabrication, astonishing results are be booked. However, to achieve success, excellent performance is needed in mastering different technologies such as polymer processing, evaporated coatings, tool making, ultra-precision turning of metals and optical metrology.

A compact LCD projection display system and its optical performance are discussed in this paper. In order to improve optical performance, two flyingeye lens have been employed in the system. It can improve the brightness uniformity of display image. Also, a polarized light transformer, which involves two functions: polarizing light radiation and converting unpolarized light into the same polarization direction light beam for LCD panels, has been developed to increase the optical efficiency and contrast ratio. Moreover, color separation and combination system has been designed and developed. Under these construction, the system with good optical performance and outstanding picture quality has been achieved.

Throughout the history of telescopes and astronomical instrumentation, new ways were found to open up unexplored possibilities in fundamental astronomical research by increasing the telescope size and instrumentation complexity. The ever demanding requirements on instrument performance pushes instrument complexity to the edge. In order to take the next leap forward in instrument development the optical design freedom needs to be increased drastically. The use of more complex and more accurate optics allows for shorter optical trains with smaller sizes, smaller number of components and reduced fabrication and alignment verification time and costs. Current optics fabrication is limited in surface form complexity and/or accuracy. Traditional active and adaptive optics lack the needed intrinsic long term stability and simplicity in design, manufacturing, verification and control. This paper explains how and why active arrays literally provide a flexible but stable basis for the next generation optical instruments. Combing active arrays with opticallyhigh quality face sheets more complex and accurate optical surface forms can be provided including extreme a-spherical (freeform) surfaces and thus allow for optical train optimization and even instrument reconfiguration. A zero based design strategy is adopted for the development of the active arrays addressing fundamental issues in opto-mechanical engineering. The various choices are investigated by prototypes and Finite Element Analysis. Finally an engineering concept will be presented following a highly stable adjustment strategy allowing simple verification and control. The Optimization metrology is described in an additional paper for this conference by T. Agócs et al.

"Active Learning in Optics and Photonics" (ALOP), funded by UNESCO within its Physics Program framework with the support of ICTP (Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics) and SPIE (Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers), aimed to helps and promotes a friendly and interactive method in teaching optics using simple and inexpensive equipment. Many workshops were organized since 2005 the year when Z. BenLakhdar, whom is part of the creators of ALOP, proposed this project to STO (Société Tunisienne d'Optique). These workshops address several issues in optics, covering geometrical optics, wave optics, optical communication and they are dedicated to both teachers and students. We focus this lecture on Fraunhofer diffraction emphasizing the facility to achieve this mechanism in classroom, using small laser and operating a slit in a sheet of paper. We accompany this demonstration using mobile phone and numerical modeling to assist in the analysis of the diffraction pattern figure.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of various activators (ranging from transition metal ions, rare-earth ions, ns2 ions, to self-trapped and dopant-bound excitons) in phosphors and scintillators are reviewed. As a single-particle ground-state theory, DFT calculations cannot reproduce the experimentally observed optical spectra, which involve transitions between multi-electronic states. However, DFT calculations can generally provide sufficiently accurate structural relaxation and distinguish different hybridization strengths between an activator and its ligands in different host compounds. This is important because the activator-ligand interaction often governs the trends in luminescence properties in phosphors and scintillators, and can be used to search for new materials.more » DFT calculations of the electronic structure of the host compound and the positions of the activator levels relative to the host band edges in scintillators are also important for finding optimal host-activator combinations for high light yields and fast scintillation response. Mn4+ activated red phosphors, scintillators activated by Ce3+, Eu2+, Tl+, and excitons are shown as examples of using DFT calculations in phosphor and scintillator research.« less

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of various activators (ranging from transition metal ions, rare-earth ions, ns2 ions, to self-trapped and dopant-bound excitons) in phosphors and scintillators are reviewed. As a single-particle ground-state theory, DFT calculations cannot reproduce the experimentally observed optical spectra, which involve transitions between multi-electronic states. However, DFT calculations can generally provide sufficiently accurate structural relaxation and distinguish different hybridization strengths between an activator and its ligands in different host compounds. This is important because the activator-ligand interaction often governs the trends in luminescence properties in phosphors and scintillators, and can be used to search for new materials. DFT calculations of the electronic structure of the host compound and the positions of the activator levels relative to the host band edges in scintillators are also important for finding optimal host-activator combinations for high light yields and fast scintillation response. Mn4+activated red phosphors, scintillators activated by Ce3+, Eu2+, Tl+, and excitons are shown as examples of using DFT calculations in phosphor and scintillator research.

An optical impedance spectroscopy (OIS) technique based on a single-mode electro-active-integrated optical waveguide (EA-IOW) was developed to investigate electron-transfer processes of redox adsorbates. A highly sensitive single-mode EA-IOW device was used to optically follow the time-dependent faradaic current originated from a submonolayer of cytochrome c undergoing redox exchanges driven by a harmonic modulation of the electric potential at several dc bias potentials and at several frequencies. To properly retrieve the faradaic current density from the ac-modulated optical signal, we introduce here a mathematical formalism that (i) accounts for intrinsic changes that invariably occur in the optical baseline of the EA-IOW device during potential modulation and (ii) provides accurate results for the electro-chemical parameters. We are able to optically reconstruct the faradaic current density profile against the dc bias potential in the working electrode, identify the formal potential, and determine the energy-width of the electron-transfer process. In addition, by combining the optically reconstructed faradaic signal with simple electrical measurements of impedance across the whole electrochemical cell and the capacitance of the electric double-layer, we are able to determine the time-constant connected to the redox reaction of the adsorbed protein assembly. For cytochrome c directly immobilized onto the indium tin oxide (ITO) surface, we measured a reaction rate constant of 26.5 s(-1). Finally, we calculate the charge-transfer resistance and pseudocapacitance associated with the electron-transfer process and show that the frequency dependence of the redox reaction of the protein submonolayer follows as expected the electrical equivalent of an RC-series admittance diagram. Above all, we show here that OIS with single-mode EA-IOW's provide strong analytical signals that can be readily monitored even for small surface-densities of species involved in the redox

An optical impedance spectroscopy (OIS) technique based on a single-mode electro-active-integrated optical waveguide (EA-IOW) was developed to investigate electron-transfer processes of redox adsorbates. A highly sensitive single-mode EA-IOW device was used to optically follow the time-dependent faradaic current originated from a submonolayer of cytochrome c undergoing redox exchanges driven by a harmonic modulation of the electric potential at several dc bias potentials and at several frequencies. To properly retrieve the faradaic current density from the ac-modulated optical signal, we introduce here a mathematical formalism that (i) accounts for intrinsic changes that invariably occur in the optical baseline of the EA-IOW device during potential modulation and (ii) provides accurate results for the electro-chemical parameters. We are able to optically reconstruct the faradaic current density profile against the dc bias potential in the working electrode, identify the formal potential, and determine the energy-width of the electron-transfer process. In addition, by combining the optically reconstructed faradaic signal with simple electrical measurements of impedance across the whole electrochemical cell and the capacitance of the electric double-layer, we are able to determine the time-constant connected to the redox reaction of the adsorbed protein assembly. For cytochrome c directly immobilized onto the indium tin oxide (ITO) surface, we measured a reaction rate constant of 26.5 s–1. Finally, we calculate the charge-transfer resistance and pseudocapacitance associated with the electron-transfer process and show that the frequency dependence of the redox reaction of the protein submonolayer follows as expected the electrical equivalent of an RC-series admittance diagram. Above all, we show here that OIS with single-mode EA-IOW’s provide strong analytical signals that can be readily monitored even for small surface-densities of species involved in the redox

In order to improve high-speed laser space optical communications terminal receive energy and emission energy, meet the demand of mini-type and light-type for space-based bear platform, based on multiple-reflect coaxial optical receiving antenna structure, while considering the installation difficulty, a high-efficient optical system had been designed, which aperture is off-axial, both signal-receiving sub-optical system and emission sub-optical system share a same primary optical path. By the separating light lens behind the primary optical path, the received light with little energy will be filtered and shaped and then transmitted to each detector, at the same time, by the coupling element, the high-power laser will be coupling into optical antenna, and then emitted to outside. Applied the power-detected optical system evaluate principle, the optimized off-axial optical system's efficiency had been compared with the coaxial optical system. While, analyzed the Gauss beam energy distribution by numerical theory, discussed that whether off-axis optical system can be an emission terminal, verify the feasibility of the theory of the design of the system.

In this contribution we provide an overview of current investigations on opticallyactive particles (nanodiamonds, upconversion phospors) for biohybrid and sensing applications. Due to their outstanding properties nanodiamonds gain attention in various application elds such as microelectronics, optical monitoring, medicine, and biotechnology. Beyond the typical diamond properties such as high thermal conductivity and extreme hardness, the carbon surface and its various functional groups enable diverse chemical and biological surface functionalization. At Fraunhofer IKTS-MD we develop a customization of material surfaces via integration of chemically modi ed nanodiamonds at variable surfaces, e.g bone implants and pipelines. For the rst purpose, nanodiamonds are covalently modi ed at their surface with amino or phosphate functionalities that are known to increase adhesion to bone or titanium alloys. The second type of surface is approached via mechanical implementation into coatings. Besides nanodiamonds, we also investigate the properties of upconversion phosphors. In our contribution we show how upconversion phosphors are used to verify sterilization processes via a change of optical properties due to sterilizing electron beam exposure.

A number of different applications for high resolution Bragg Focusing Optics are reviewed. Applications include Sagittal Focusing, Energy Dispersive optics for x-ray absorption and diffraction, a curved analyzer-multichannel detector method for efficient acquisition of powder and small angle scattering data, the use of Backscattering Analyzers for very high resolution inelastic scattering, and curved crystals for high energy applications.

Physics educators around the world often need reliable diagnostic materials to measure students' understanding of physics concept in high school. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new diagnostic tool on High School Optics concept. Test of Conceptual Understanding on High School Optics (TOCUSO) consists of 25 conceptual items that…

Large aperture phased array antennas operating at millimeter wave frequencies are designed for space-based communications and imaging platforms. Array elements are comprised of active T/R modules which are linked to the central processing unit through high-speed fiber-optic networks. The system architecture satisfying system requirements at millimeter wave frequency is T/R level data mixing where data and frequency reference signals are distributed independently before mixing at the T/R modules. This paper demonstrates design procedures of a low loss high-speed fiber-optic link used for transmission of data signals over 600-900 MHz bandwidth inside satellite. The fiber-optic link is characterized for transmission of analog and digital data. A dynamic range of 79 dB/MHz was measured for analog data over the bandwidth. On the other hand, for bursted SMSK satellite traffic at 220 Mbps rates, BER of 2 x 10 to the -7th was measured for E(b)/N(o) of 14.3 dB.

The concept of free electrons which yields the Drude description of the conductivity works surprisingly well in conventional metals. By contrast, the infrared reflectivity of the cuprate superconductors deviates dramatically from Drude behavior and thus challenges theory to explain the origin of the anomalous electron damping and the related mass divergence which has implications for the existence of a Fermi surface. The controversial key issue of the carrier concentration in cuprates needs to be resolved by a conserving analysis of the puzzling conductivity. Raman spectra of cuprates also exhibit unconventional electronic contributions over a wide frequency range up to 1 eV, and recent data provide evidence for the symmetry of the superconducting energy gap. A microscopic theory for both the optical conductivity and the Raman anomalies in cuprates derives a linear frequency variation of the damping from electron-electron collisions on a nested Fermi surface that refers to nearly parallel segments of an electron trajectory. Thus the nesting theory links the cuprate anomalies to phenomena in chromium and rare earth metals. Nesting also yields a novel mechanism for d-wave superconductivity that requires a Coulomb repulsion of intermediate strength and key nesting features that distinguish high {Tc} cuprates from other materials. 41 refs., 7 figs.

Scattering-induced mode splitting in active microcavities is demonstrated. Below the lasing threshold, quality factor enhancement by optical gain allows resolving, in the wavelength-scanning transmission spectrum, of resonance dips of the split modes which otherwise would not be detected in a passive resonator. In the lasing regime, mode splitting manifests itself as two lasing modes with extremely narrow linewidths. Mixing these lasing modes in a detector leads to a heterodyne beat signal whose frequency corresponds to the mode-splitting amount. Lasing regime not only allows ultra-high sensitivity for mode-splitting measurements but also provides an easily accessible scheme by eliminating the need for wavelength scanning around resonant modes. Mode splitting in active microcavities has an immediate impact in enhancing the sensitivity of subwavelength scatterer detection and in studying light-matter interactions in a strong-coupling regime.

Polycrystalline cerium activated lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO:Ce) is highly desirable technique to make cost effective and highly reproducible radiation detectors for medical imaging. In this article methods to improve transparency in polycrystalline LSO:Ce were explored. Two commercially available powders of different particulate sizes (average particle size 30 and 1500 nm) were evaluated for producing dense LSO:Ce by pressure assisted densification routes, such as hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing. Consolidation of the powders at optimum conditions produced three polycrystalline ceramics with average grain sizes of 500 nm, 700 and 2000 nm. Microstructural evolution studies showed that for grain sizes larger than 1 µm, anisotropy in thermal expansion coefficient and elastic constants of LSO, resulted in residual stress at grain boundaries and triple points that led to intragranular microcracking. However, reducing the grain size below 1 µm effectively avoids microcracking, leading to more favorable optical properties. The optical scattering profiles generated by a Stover scatterometer, measured by a He-Ne laser of wavelength 633 nm, showed that by reducing the grain size from 2 µm to 500 nm, the in-line transmission increased by a factor of 103. Although these values were encouraging and showed that small changes in grain size could increase transmission by almost 3 orders of magnitude, even smaller grain sizes need to be achieved in order to get truly transparent material with high in-line transmission. PMID:23505329

Attention is given to a program to develop fiber optic methods to measure diaphragm deflection. The end application is intended for pressure transducers capable of operating to 540 C. In this paper are reported the results of a laboratory study to characterize the performance of the fiber-optic microbend sensor. The data presented include sensitivity and spring constant. The advantages and limitations of the microbend sensor for static pressure measurement applications are described. A proposed design is presented for a 540 C pressure transducer using the fiber optic microbend sensor.

A novel piezoelectric/fiber-optic system is developed for long-term health monitoring of aerospace vehicles and structures. The hybrid diagnostic system uses the piezoelectric actuators to input a controlled excitation to the structure and the fiber optic sensors to capture the corresponding structural response. The aim of the system is to detect changes in structures such as those found in aerospace applications (damage, cracks, aging, etc.). This system involves the use of fiber Bragg gratings, which may be either bonded to the surface of the material or embedded within it in order to detect the linear strain component produced by the excitation waves generate by an arbitrary waveform generator. Interrogation of the Bragg gratings is carried out using a high speed fiber grating demodulation unit and a high speed data acquisition card to provide actuation input. With data collection and information processing; is able to determine the condition of the structure. The demands on a system suitable for detecting ultrasonic acoustic waves are different than for the more common strain and temperature systems. On the one hand, the frequency is much higher, with typical values for ultrasonic frequencies used in non-destructive testing ranging from 100 kHz up to several MHz. On the other hand, the related strain levels are much lower, normally in the μstrain range. Fiber-optic solutions for this problem do exist and are particularly attractive for ultrasonic sensing as the sensors offer broadband detection capability.

The present paper describes the experience of application of portable optical laboratory in optical practicum developed directly for training and demonstrations of basic optical laws and phenomena in high-schools, colleges and nontechnical universities all over Russia. The laboratory includes the portable optical platform with built-in laser and lamp sources, kit of optical components and software. These accessories provide the attractive and smart teaching in general optics during lectures, lessons and practice at schools and colleges. The portable optical laboratory provides 28 basic lab works and demonstrations in reflection, refraction, absorption and dispersion of light, interference, diffraction, polarization of light, image formation and waveguide propagation of light in optical fibers. Due to their interdependence one can teach and learn a whole course of general optics. The individual work of students and school children with optical kit stimulates and develops their creative abilities and experimental skills, as well increases the effectiveness of education. The kit is provided with optional elements for a number of extra experiments with holography, polarizing light propagation, simple optical devices etc. These extensions allow to modify the education process according to teacher's point of view. The conception of optical class-room based on portable optical laboratories is discussed. The effectiveness of individual and small-group training is analyzed.

We report on the optical and magneto-optical response of hybrid plasmonic lattices that consist of pure nickel and gold nanoparticles in a checkerboard arrangement. Diffractive far-field coupling between the individual emitters of the lattices results in the excitation of two orthogonal surface lattice resonance modes. Local analyses of the radiation fields indicate that both the nickel and gold nanoparticles contribute to these collective resonances and, thereby, to the magneto-opticalactivity of the hybrid arrays. The strong effect of noble metal nanoparticles on the magneto-optical response of hybrid lattices opens up new avenues for the realization of sensitive and tunable magneto-plasmonic nanostructures. PMID:26907022

Optically powered conventional instrumentation with optical fiber links that combine the advantages of a familiar technology and of fiber optics is described. A number of examples are given of the development of pneumatic pressure sensors and actuators with reduced power consumption that are operated by optical power and incorporated with fiber-optic links. Their performance and power budget are discussed. They are particularly applicable to transmissions through regions having high EM interference, high EM pulses, and explosive, radiative, or corrosive hazards, such as in nuclear power plants, process plants, aircraft, or spacecraft. These low-optical-power transmission and operation characteristics will help to meet safety requirements and to reduce the system cost.

Phonon optics concerns operations with high-frequency acoustic waves in solid media in a similar way to how traditional optics operates with the light beams (i.e. photons). Phonon optics experiments with coherent terahertz and sub-terahertz phonons promise a revolution in various technical applications related to high-frequency acoustics, imaging, and heat transport. Previously, phonon optics used passive methods for manipulations with propagating phonon beams that did not enable their external control. Here we fabricate a phononic chip, which includes a generator of coherent monochromatic phonons with frequency 378 GHz, a sensitive coherent phonon detector, and an active layer: a doped semiconductor superlattice, with electrical contacts, inserted into the phonon propagation path. In the experiments, we demonstrate the modulation of the coherent phonon flux by an external electrical bias applied to the active layer. Phonon optics using external control broadens the spectrum of prospective applications of phononics on the nanometer scale. PMID:25652241

There is considerable evidence that traditional approaches are ineffective in teaching physics concepts, including light and optics concepts. A major focus of the work of the Activity Based Physics Group has been on the development of active learning curricula like RealTime Physics (RTP) labs and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs). Among the characteristics of these curricula are: (1) use of a learning cycle in which students are challenged to compare predictions—discussed with their peers in small groups—to observations of the physical world, (2) use of guided hands-on work to construct basic concepts from observations, and (3) use of computer-based tools. It has been possible to change the lecture and laboratory learning environments at a large number of universities, colleges, and high schools without changing the structure of the introductory course. For example, in the United States, nearly 200 physics departments have adopted RTP, and many others use pre-publication, open-source versions or have adopted the RTP approach to develop their own labs. Examples from RTP and ILDs (including optics magic tricks) are described in this paper.

The optical anisotropy and opticalactivity of salt and basic chitosan films, both initial and modified in formic acid vapor were studied. The modification of such films was found to be accompanied by induced time-stable optical anisotropy, by varying the values of specific optical rotation [α] and an inversion of the sign of [α]. The angular dependences (indicatrices) of the specific optical rotation of films on the orientation angle of the sample relative to the direction of the polarization vector of the incident light beam in a plane perpendicular to the beam were obtained. The indicatrices of the initial chitosan films have an almost symmetrical character while those of the films modified in formic acid vapor are irregular. It is concluded of the formation of a vitrified cholesteric mesophase in the chitosan films with induced optical anisotropy.

Sensors were developed for multianalyte monitoring, fermentation monitoring, lactate analysis, remote oxygen detection for use in bioremediation monitoring and in a fuel spill clean-up project, heavy metal analysis, and high density DNA microarrays. The major focus of this thesis involved creating and improving high-density DNA gene arrays. Fiber optic sensors are created using fluorescent indicators, polymeric supports, and optical fiber substrates. The fluorescent indicator is entrapped in a polymer layer and attached to the tip of the optical fiber. The tip of the fiber bearing the sensing layer (the distal end) is placed in the sample of interest while the other end of the fiber (the proximal end) is connected to an analysis system. Any length of fiber can be used without compromising the integrity or sensitivity of the system. A fiber optic oxygen sensor was designed incorporating an oxygen sensitive fluorescent dye and a gas permeable polymer attached to an optical fiber. The construction simplicity and ruggedness of the sensor enabled its deployment for in situ chemical oxidation and bioremediation studies. Optical fibers were also used as the substrate to detect biomolecules in solution. To monitor bioprocesses, the production of the analyte of interest must be coupled with a species that is optically measurable. For example, oxygen is consumed in many metabolic functions. The fiber optic oxygen sensor is equipped with an additional sensing layer. Upon contact with a specific biochemical in the sample, a reaction occurs in the additional sensing layer that either consumes or produces oxygen. This dual layer system was used to monitor the presence of lactate, an important metabolite for clinical and bioprocess analysis. In many biological and environmental systems, the generation of one species occurs coincidentally with the generation or consumption of another species. A multianalyte sensor was prepared that can monitor the simultaneous activity of pH, CO2

Although broadband photometry has been used to infer information about artificial satellites since soon after the launch of Sputnik 1, the development of photometric techniques for non-resolved space object identification or characterisation has been hampered by the large number of variables involved. Many individual studies, and some long ongoing experiments, have used costly metre-class telescopes to obtain data despite other experiments demonstrating that much more flexible and affordable small aperture telescopes may be suitable for the task. In addition, due to the highly time consuming and weather dependent nature of obtaining photometric observations, many studies have suffered from data sets of limited size, or relied upon simulations to support their claims. With this in mind, an experiment was conducted with the aim of determining the utility of small aperture telescopes for conducting broadband photometry of satellites for the purpose of non-resolved space object identification and characterisation. A 14 inch Celestron CG-14 telescope was used to gain multiple night-long, high temporal resolution data sets of six active geostationary satellites. The results of the experiment cast doubt on the efficacy of some of the previous approaches to obtaining and analysing photometric data. It was discovered that geostationary satellite lightcurves can vary to a greater degree than has generally been recognised, and colour ratios vary considerably with changes in the illumination/observation geometry, making it difficult to use colour for satellite discrimination. Evidence was also detected of variations in the spectral energy distribution of sunlight reflected off satellite surface materials, which could have implications for surface material characterisation and techniques that aim to separate satellite body and solar panel contributions to the total observed spectra.

Size, weight, and a lack of adaptability currently hinder the effectiveness of conventional imaging sensors in a number of military applications, including space-based space situational awareness (SSA), intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and missile tracking. The development of sensors that are smaller, lighter weight, adaptive, and use less power is critical for the success of future military initiatives. Threat detection systems need the flexibility of a wide FOV for surveillance and situational awareness while simultaneously maintaining high-resolution for target identification and precision tracking from a single, nonmechanical imaging system. Sandia National Laboratories, the Naval Research Laboratory, Narrascape, Inc., and Composite Mirror Applications, Inc. are at the forefront of activeoptics research, leading the development of active systems for foveated imaging, nonmechanical zoom, phase diversity, and actively enhanced multi-spectral imaging. Increasing the field-of-view, spatial resolution, spectral capability and system magnification have all been demonstrated with activeoptics. Adding active components to existing systems should significantly enhance capability in a number of military applications, including night vision, remote sensing and surveillance, chemical/biological detection, and large aperture, space-based systems. Deployment costs of large aperture systems in space or near-space are directly related to the weight of the system. In order to minimize the weight of conventional primary mirrors and simultaneously achieve an agile system that is capable of true optical zoom without macroscopic moving parts, we are proposing a revolutionary alternative to conventional telescopes where moving lenses/mirrors and gimbals are replaced with lightweight carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) variable radius-of-curvature mirrors (VRMs) and MEMS deformable mirrors (DMs). CFRP and MEMS DMs can provide a variable effective focal

Distributed measurements made with fiber optic instrumentation have the potential to revolutionize data collection for facility monitoring and process control in industrial environments. Dozens of sensors etched into a single optical fiber can be used to instrument equipment and structures so that dozens of spatially distributed temperature measurements, for example, can be made quickly using one optical fiber. Optically based sensors are commercially available to measure temperature, strain, and other physical quantities that can be related to strain, such as pressure and acceleration. Other commercially available technology eliminates the need to etch discrete sensors into an optical fiber and allows temperature measurements to be made along the length of an ordinary silica fiber. Distributed sensing with optical instrumentation is commonly used in the petroleum industry to measure the temperature and pressure profiles in down hole applications. The U.S. Department of Energy is interested in extending the distributed sensing capabilities of optical instrumentation to high temperature reactor radiation environments. For this technology extension to be possible, the survivability of silica optical fibers needed to be determined in this environment. In this work the optical attenuation added to silica optical fiber exposed simultaneously to reactor radiation and temperatures to 1000°C was experimentally determined. Optical transmission measurements were made in-situ from 400nm-2300nm. For easy visualization, all of the results generated in this work were processed into movies that are available publicly [1]. In this investigation, silica optical fibers were shown to survive optically and mechanically in a reactor radiation environment to 1000°C. For the combined high temperature reactor irradiation experiments completed in this investigation, the maximum attenuation increase in the low-OH optical fibers was around 0.5db/m at 1550nm and 0.6dB/m at 1300nm. The

A remote temperature sensing system includes a light source selectively producing light at two different wavelengths and a sensor device having an optical path length that varies as a function of temperature. The sensor receives light emitted by the light source and redirects the light along the optical path length. The system also includes a detector receiving redirected light from the sensor device and generating respective signals indicative of respective intensities of received redirected light corresponding to respective wavelengths of light emitted by the light source. The system also includes a processor processing the signals generated by the detector to calculate a temperature of the device.

We calculate optical properties of water along the principal Hugoniot curve from ambient conditions up to temperatures of 130 000 K with density functional theory (DFT) and the Kubo-Greenwood formula. The effect of the exchange correlation functional is examined by comparing the generalized gradient approximation with a hybrid functional that contains Fock exchange. We find noticeable but moderate differences between the respective results which decrease rapidly above 80 000 K. The reflectivity along the principal Hugoniot is calculated and a good qualitative but fair quantitative agreement with available experimental data is found. Our results are of general relevance for calculations of optical properties with DFT at zero and elevated temperature.

The past decade has witnessed astounding boom in telecommunication network traffic. With the emergence of multimedia over Internet, the high-capacity optical transport systems have started to shift focus from the core network towards the end users. This trend leads to diverse optical networks with transparency and reconfigurability requirement. As single channel data rate continues to increase and channel spacing continues to shrink for high capacity, high spectral efficiency, the workload on conventional electronic signal processing elements in the router nodes continues to build up. Performing signal processing functions in the optical domain can potentially alleviate the speed bottleneck if the unique optical properties are efficiently leveraged to assist electronic processing methodologies. Ultra-high bandwidth capability along with the promise for multi-channel and format-transparent operation make optical signal processing an attractive technology which is expected to have great impact on future optical networks. For optical signal processing applications in fiber-optic network and systems, a laudable goal would be to explore the unique nonlinear optical processes in novel photonic devices. This dissertation investigates novel optical signal processing techniques through simulations and experimental demonstrations, analyzes limitations of these nonlinear processing elements and proposes techniques to enhance the system performance or designs for functional photonic modules. Two key signal-processing building blocks for future optical networks, namely slow-light-based tunable optical delay lines and SOA-based high-speed wavelength converters, are presented in the first part of the dissertation. Phase preserving and spectrally efficient slow light are experimentally demonstrated using advanced modulation formats. Functional and novel photonic modules, such as multi-channel synchronizer and variable-bit-rate optical time division multiplexer are designed and

We demonstrate that opticalactivity in amorphous isotropic thin films of pure Ge2Sb2Te5 and N-doped Ge2Sb2Te5N phase-change memory materials can be induced using rapid photo crystallisation with circularly polarised laser light. The new anisotropic phase transition has been confirmed by circular dichroism measurements. This opens up the possibility of controlled induction of opticalactivity at the nanosecond time scale for exploitation in a new generation of high-density optical memory, fast chiroptical switches and chiral metamaterials. PMID:25740351

We demonstrate that opticalactivity in amorphous isotropic thin films of pure Ge2Sb2Te5 and N-doped Ge2Sb2Te5N phase-change memory materials can be induced using rapid photo crystallisation with circularly polarised laser light. The new anisotropic phase transition has been confirmed by circular dichroism measurements. This opens up the possibility of controlled induction of opticalactivity at the nanosecond time scale for exploitation in a new generation of high-density optical memory, fast chiroptical switches and chiral metamaterials. PMID:25740351

We demonstrate that opticalactivity in amorphous isotropic thin films of pure Ge2Sb2Te5 and N-doped Ge2Sb2Te5N phase-change memory materials can be induced using rapid photo crystallisation with circularly polarised laser light. The new anisotropic phase transition has been confirmed by circular dichroism measurements. This opens up the possibility of controlled induction of opticalactivity at the nanosecond time scale for exploitation in a new generation of high-density optical memory, fast chiroptical switches and chiral metamaterials.

The bandwidth of information and communication technology (ICT) systems is increasing and is predicted to reach more than 10 Tb/s. However, an electrical interconnect cannot achieve such bandwidth because of its density limits. To solve this problem, we propose two types of high-density optical fiber wiring for backplanes and circuit boards such as interface boards and switch boards. One type uses routed ribbon fiber in a circuit board because it has the ability to be formed into complex shapes to avoid interfering with the LSI and electrical components on the board. The backplane is required to exhibit high density and flexibility, so the second type uses loose fiber. We developed a 9.6-Tb/s optical interconnect demonstration system using embedded optical modules, optical backplane, and optical connector in a network apparatus chassis. We achieved 25-Gb/s transmission between FPGAs via the optical backplane.

All-Optical network is still in adolescence to cope up with steep rise in data traffic at the backbone network. Routing of packets in optical network depends on the processing speed of the All-Optical routers, thus there is a need to enhance optical processing to curb the delay in packet forwarding unit. In the proposed scheme, the header processing takes place on fly, therefore processing delay is at its lower limit. The objective is to propose a framework which establishes high data rate transmission with least latency in data routing from source to destination. The Routing table and optical header pulses are converted into Pulse Position (PP) format, thus reducing the complexity and in turn the processing delay. Optical pulse matching is exercised which results in multi-output transmission. This results in ultra-high speed packet forwarding unit. In addition, this proposed scheme includes dispersion compensation unit, which makes the data reliable.

This invention permits retinal images to be acquired at high speed and with unprecedented resolution in three dimensions (4.times.4.times.6 .mu.m). The instrument achieves high lateral resolution by using adaptive optics to correct optical aberrations of the human eye in real time. High axial resolution and high speed are made possible by the use of Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography. Using this system, we have demonstrated the ability to image microscopic blood vessels and the cone photoreceptor mosaic.

An optically triggered solid state switch and method for switching a high voltage electrical current. A plurality of solid state switches (350) are connected in series for controlling electrical current flow between a compensation capacitor (112) and ground in a reactive power compensator (50, 50') that monitors the voltage and current flowing through each of three distribution lines (52a, 52b and 52c), which are supplying three-phase power to one or more inductive loads. An optical transmitter (100) controlled by the reactive power compensation system produces light pulses that are conveyed over optical fibers (102) to a switch driver (110') that includes a plurality of series connected optical triger circuits (288). Each of the optical trigger circuits controls a pair of the solid state switches and includes a plurality of series connected resistors (294, 326, 330, and 334) that equalize or balance the potential across the plurality of trigger circuits. The trigger circuits are connected to one of the distribution lines through a trigger capacitor (340). In each switch driver, the light signals activate a phototransistor (300) so that an electrical current flows from one of the energy reservoir capacitors through a pulse transformer (306) in the trigger circuit, producing gate signals that turn on the pair of serially connected solid state switches (350).

This report presents concepts and methods, major conclusions, and major recommendations concerning the fabrication of high energy laser optics (HELO) that are to be machined by the Large Optics Diamond Turning Machine (LODTM) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Detailed discussions of concepts and methods proposed for metrological operations, polishing of reflective surfaces, mounting of optical components, construction of mirror substrates, and applications of coatings are included.

High-quality optical cavities with wavelength-sized end mirrors are important to the growing field of micro-optomechanical systems. We present a versatile method for calculating the modes of diffraction limited optical cavities and show that it can be used to determine the effect of a wide variety of cavity geometries and imperfections. Additionally, we show these calculations agree remarkably well with FDTD simulations for wavelength-sized optical modes, even though our method is based on the paraxial approximation.

The history and the development of the high education in the field of optical engineering in the area of East China will be presented in the paper. The overall situation of research and human resource training in optics and photonics will also be reviewed, it shows that China needs lots of talents and experts in this field to support the world optical industry in East China.

A scheme to realize high speed all-optical encryption and decryption using key-stream generators and an XOR gate based on quantum dot semiconductor optical amplifiers (QD-SOAs) was studied. The key used for encryption and decryption is a high speed all-optical pseudorandom bit sequence (PRBS) which is generated by a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) composed of QD-SOA-based logic XOR and AND gates. Two other kinds of more secure key-stream generators, i.e. cascaded design and parallel design, were also designed and investigated. Nonlinear dynamics including carrier heating and spectral hole-burning in the QD-SOA are taken into account together with the rate equations in order to realize all-optical logic operations. Results show that this scheme can realize all-optical encryption and decryption by using key-stream generators at high speed (~250 Gb/s).

A large aperture, kJ-class, multi-wavelength Nd-glass laser system has been constructed at Lawrence Livermore National Lab which has unique capabilities for studying a wide variety of optical phenomena. The master-oscillator, power-amplifier (MOPA) configuration of this ''Optical Sciences Laser'' (OSL) produces 1053 nm radiation with shaped pulse lengths which are variable from 0.1-100 ns. The output can be frequency doubled or tripled with high conversion efficiency with a resultant 100 cm{sup 2} high quality output beam. This facility can accommodate prototype hardware for large-scale inertial confinement fusion lasers allowing for investigation of integrated system issues such as optical lifetime at high fluence, optics contamination, compatibility of non-optical materials, and laser diagnostics.

We developed a brand-new stabilizer with a cylindrically concaved active surface for a flexible optical disk system. The unique design enabled extremely stable driving of the flexible disk at rotational speeds over 10,000 rpm. We actually demonstrated the driving at rotational speeds of up to 15,000 rpm, the spindle motor limit of our optical disk tester. This highest rotational speed promises a maximum data transfer rate of more than 600 Mbps for the recording density of a Blu-ray Disc. This stable state was achieved using a simple control that just adjusts the relative axial position of the stabilizer against the flexible disk. Once the adjustment was made, high stability was maintained over a wide rotational speed, ranging from 4,000 to 15,000 rpm. In this stable state, the axial runout on the pickup scanning line was suppressed to less than 10 μm at all rotational speeds. By achieving this high performance with simplified stabilizer control, we have come close to putting our system into practical use.

Herein, we propose a highly efficient metallic optical incoupler for a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) operating in the spectrum range of 14~16 μm, which consists of an array of metal micropatches and a periodically corrugated metallic back plate sandwiching a semiconductor active layer. By exploiting the excitations of microcavity modes and hybrid spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) modes, this optical incoupler can convert infrared radiation efficiently into the quantum wells (QWs) layer of semiconductor region with large electrical field component (Ez) normal to the plane of QWs. Our further numerical simulations for optimization indicate that by tuning microcavity mode to overlap with hybrid SSPs mode in spectrum, a coupled mode is formed, which leads to 33-fold enhanced light absorption for QWs centered at wavelength of 14.5 μm compared with isotropic absorption of QWs without any metallic microstructures, as well as a large value of coupling efficiency (η) of |Ez|2 ~ 6. This coupled mode shows a slight dispersion over ~40° and weak polarization dependence, which is quite beneficial to the high performance infrared photodetectors. PMID:27456691

Herein, we propose a highly efficient metallic optical incoupler for a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) operating in the spectrum range of 14~16 μm, which consists of an array of metal micropatches and a periodically corrugated metallic back plate sandwiching a semiconductor active layer. By exploiting the excitations of microcavity modes and hybrid spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) modes, this optical incoupler can convert infrared radiation efficiently into the quantum wells (QWs) layer of semiconductor region with large electrical field component (Ez) normal to the plane of QWs. Our further numerical simulations for optimization indicate that by tuning microcavity mode to overlap with hybrid SSPs mode in spectrum, a coupled mode is formed, which leads to 33-fold enhanced light absorption for QWs centered at wavelength of 14.5 μm compared with isotropic absorption of QWs without any metallic microstructures, as well as a large value of coupling efficiency (η) of |Ez|2 ~ 6. This coupled mode shows a slight dispersion over ~40° and weak polarization dependence, which is quite beneficial to the high performance infrared photodetectors.

Herein, we propose a highly efficient metallic optical incoupler for a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) operating in the spectrum range of 14~16 μm, which consists of an array of metal micropatches and a periodically corrugated metallic back plate sandwiching a semiconductor active layer. By exploiting the excitations of microcavity modes and hybrid spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) modes, this optical incoupler can convert infrared radiation efficiently into the quantum wells (QWs) layer of semiconductor region with large electrical field component (Ez) normal to the plane of QWs. Our further numerical simulations for optimization indicate that by tuning microcavity mode to overlap with hybrid SSPs mode in spectrum, a coupled mode is formed, which leads to 33-fold enhanced light absorption for QWs centered at wavelength of 14.5 μm compared with isotropic absorption of QWs without any metallic microstructures, as well as a large value of coupling efficiency (η) of |Ez|(2) ~ 6. This coupled mode shows a slight dispersion over ~40° and weak polarization dependence, which is quite beneficial to the high performance infrared photodetectors. PMID:27456691

As the most abundant cell type in the central nervous system, astrocyte has been one of main research topics in neuroscience. Although various tools have been developed, at present, there is no tool that allows noninvasive activation of astrocyte in vivo without genetic or pharmacological perturbation. Here we report a noninvasive label-free optical method for physiological astrocyte activation in vivo using a femtosecond pulsed laser. We showed the laser stimulation robustly induced astrocytic calcium activation in vivo and further verified physiological relevance of the calcium increase by demonstrating astrocyte mediated vasodilation in the brain. This novel optical method will facilitate noninvasive physiological study on astrocyte function.

We demonstrate a Sagnac based fiber optic current sensor using only 10cm of terbium doped fiber with a high Verdet constant of 15.5 rad/Tm at a wavelength of 1300nm. Measurements of the fiber inside a solenoid show over 40dB of open loop dynamic range as well as a minimum detectable current of 0.1mA. In order to decrease size while increasing sensitivity even further, we consider integrated magneto-optic waveguides as the sensing element. Using silicon waveguides alongside magneto-optic material such as cerium doped yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YiG), we model the Verdet constant to be as high as 10,000 rad/Tm. This improvement by three orders of magnitude shows potential for magnetooptic waveguides to be used in ultra-high sensitivity optical magnetometers and current sensors. Finally, we propose a fully integrated optical current sensor using heterogeneous integration for silicon photonics.

We investigate the optical properties of ultrathin film of a topological insulator in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field. We show that due to the combination of the overlap between the surface states of the two layers and the magnetic field, the optical conductivity can show strong anisotropy. This leads to the effective opticalactivity of the ultrathin film by influencing the circularly polarized incident light. Intriguingly, for a range of magnetic fields, the reflected and transmitted lights exhibit elliptic character. Even for certain values almost linear polarizations are obtained, indicating that the thin film can act as a polaroid in reflection. All these features are discussed in the context of the time-reversal symmetry breaking as one of the key ingredients for the opticalactivity.

Miniaturized optical systems like endoscopy or cell phone lenses systems comprise several optical elements like lenses, doublets and plane optics. To receive a good imaging quality the distances and angles between the different optical elements have to be as accurate as possible. In the first step we will describe how the distances and angles between different elements can be monitored and finally we will describe a technique to actively align small optics (diameter approx. 1mm and smaller) with respect to each other. For the measurement electronic autocollimators combined with white-light-interferometers are used. The electronic autocollimator reveals the exact centration errors between optical elements and the low coherence interferometer reveals the distances between surfaces. The accuracy of the centration error measurement is in the range of 0.1μm and the accuracy of the distance measurement is 1μm. Both methods can be applied to assembled multi-element optics. That means geometrical positions of all single surfaces of the final optical system can be analysed without loss of information. Both measurement techniques complement one another. Once the exact x,y,z - Position of each optical surface and element is known computer controlled actuators will be used to improve the alignment of the optics. For this purpose we use piezo-electric-actuators. This method had been applied to cement e.g. doublets for endoscope optics. In this case the optical axis of one lens has been aligned with respect to the optical axis of a second reference lens. Traditional techniques usually rely on an uncertain mechanical reference.

There is considerable evidence that traditional approaches are ineffective in teaching physics concepts, including light and optics concepts. A major focus of the work of the Activity Based Physics Group has been on the development of active learning curricula like RealTime Physics (RTP) labs and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs). Among…

A deterministic methodology is provided for designing optical fibers that support field-flattened, ring-like higher order modes. The effective and group indices of its modes can be tuned by adjusting the widths of the guide's field-flattened layers or the average index of certain groups of layers. The approach outlined here provides a path to designing fibers that simultaneously have large mode areas and large separations between the propagation constants of its modes.

We describe a new optical fiber coating, comprising layers of UV-curable silicone and high-temperature acrylate, with and without hermetic carbon. Optical and mechanical properties of graded index 50/125 μm multimode fibers drawn with the new coating are examined. The new coatings display superior thermal stability in comparison with conventional dual acrylate coatings.

A noncontact optical fiber bundle displacement sensor with nanometer resolution and low drift is proposed. The principle of the sensor is based on reflective intensity modulation technique. The optical fiber bundle probe contains one transmitting bundle and two receiving bundles. There are 727 identical glass optical fibers with a diameter of 50μm arranged in a concentric random pattern at the probe end. The diameter of the probe coated with a thin stainless ferrule is as small as 2.5mm. A carrier amplifier system is adopted to reduce dc drift and the interference of ambient stray light. The disturbance caused by fluctuation of light source and variation of target surface reflectivity is eliminated by taking a ratio of two receiving signals. The thermal drifts from two photoelectric signal processing circuits cancel out each other by using elements with identical specifications for both photodetector-amplifier chains. The sensitivity of the sensor is 5.9mV/nm over a linear range of 700-2300μm with a nonlinearity of 1%. The achieved resolution is 1nm/square root Hz; over a dynamic bandwidth of 10KHz and the dynamic range is 286dB. It has been proved that the sensor run sufficiently well when used with nano-technological instruments.

The propagation of light in linearly birefringent and opticallyactive media, such as Bi 12SiO 20 crystals (BSO), has been widely studied by several workers. Various measurement methods of the electro-optic coefficient r41 have been described. One family of those methods consisting in measurement of the light polarization ellipticity after through the crystal has been analysed. Due to the high reflectivity of such crystals, we show that the effect of the secondary reflections can not be neglected. We present the theoretical description and analysis of this effect for one of these methods and we propose a corrective algorithm.

High-speed card-to-card optical interconnects are highly demanded in high-performance computing and data centers. Compared with other solutions, free-space optical interconnects have the capability of providing both reconfigurability and flexibility. In this paper we propose and experimentally demonstrate a free-space based reconfigurable optical interconnect architecture and it is capable of connecting cards located both inside the same rack as well as in different racks. Results show that 3×10 Gb/s data transmission is achieved with a worst-case receiver sensitivity better than -9.38 dBm.

Many applications in the life-sciences demand non-contact manipulation tools for forceful but nevertheless delicate handling of various types of sample. Moreover, the system should support high-resolution optical imaging. Here we present a hybrid acoustic/optical manipulation system which utilizes a transparent transducer, making it compatible with high-NA imaging in a microfluidic environment. The powerful acoustic trapping within a layered resonator, which is suitable for highly parallel particle handling, is complemented by the flexibility and selectivity of holographic optical tweezers, with the specimens being under high quality optical monitoring at all times. The dual acoustic/optical nature of the system lends itself to optically measure the exact acoustic force map, by means of direct force measurements on an optically trapped particle. For applications with (ultra-)high demand on the precision of the force measurements, the position of the objective used for the high-NA imaging may have significant influence on the acoustic force map in the probe chamber. We have characterized this influence experimentally and the findings were confirmed by model simulations. We show that it is possible to design the chamber and to choose the operating point in such a way as to avoid perturbations due to the objective lens. Moreover, we found that measuring the electrical impedance of the transducer provides an easy indicator for the acoustic resonances. PMID:27025398

Optical telecommunication systems constantly evolve toward higher bit rates, requiring the modulation and detection of higher-bandwidth optical waves. Commercial systems operating at 40 Gb/s are now available and research and development efforts are targeting higher bit rates for which optical pulses with picosecond-range duration are used. Chromatic dispersion, nonlinearities and amplified spontaneous emission from optical amplifiers are sources of transmission impairments that must be characterized and mitigated. Advanced modulation formats rely on the modulation of not only the amplitude of an optical wave (e.g., on/off keying), but also its phase (e.g., phase-shift keying) in order to optimize the transmission capabilities. The importance of the characterization of the properties of optical sources and components and the specificities of the optical telecommunication environment with respect to ultrafast optics are emphasized. Various diagnostics measuring the electric field of optical sources in the telecommunication environment are described. Sampling diagnostics capable of measuring eye diagrams and constellation diagrams of high-bit-rate, data-encoded sources are presented. Various optical pulse characterization techniques that meet the sensitivity requirements imposed by the telecommunication environment are also described.

A high average power, low optical distortion laser gain media is based on a flowing liquid media. A diode laser pumping device with tailored irradiance excites the laser active atom, ion or molecule within the liquid media. A laser active component of the liquid media exhibits energy storage times longer than or comparable to the thermal optical response time of the liquid. A circulation system that provides a closed loop for mixing and circulating the lasing liquid into and out of the optical cavity includes a pump, a diffuser, and a heat exchanger. A liquid flow gain cell includes flow straighteners and flow channel compression.

Important characteristics of highly concentrated active nonlinear media were studied which were based on oxide compounds of phosphates, niobates, tantalates, and titanates of neodymium with alkaline earth metals. Compounds of the indicated classes were synthesized and their spectral luminescent and nonlinear optical properties were studied. Single crystals were grown from the selected compounds (5-8mm) and preliminary measurements of the laser and nonlinear optical parameters were taken. Formulas are given for materials that demonstrated high nonlinear and luminescent properties simultaneously. Spectroscopic and nonlinear optical properties of some oxygen compounds of rare earth elements are shown.

The method of active stabilization of the polarization and other parameters of the optical part of a two-pass fiber optic quantum cryptography has been proposed and implemented. The method allows the completely automated maintenance of the visibility of interference close to an ideal value ( V ≥ 0.99) and the reduction of the instrumental contribution to the error in primary keys (QBER) to 0.5%.

One of the most serious challenges facing the exponential performance growth in the information industry is a bandwidth bottleneck in inter-chip interconnects. Optical interconnects with silicon photonics have been expected to solve the problem because of the intrinsic properties of optical signals and the industrial advantages of silicon for use in the electronics industry. We therefore propose an optical interconnect system by using silicon photonics to solve the problem. We examined integration between photonics and electronics and integration between light sources and silicon substrates, and we propose a photonics-electronics convergence system based on these examinations. We also investigated the configurations and characteristics of optical components for the system, including silicon spot-size converters, silicon optical waveguides, silicon optical splitters, silicon optical modulators, germanium photodetectors, and arrayed laser diodes. We then demonstrated the feasibility of the system by fabricating a high-density silicon optical interposer by using silicon photonics hybridly integrated with arrayed laser diodes and monolithically integrated with the other optical components on a single silicon substrate. The pad pitches of optical modulators and photodetectors were designed to be 100 μm so that LSI bare chips were able to contact to them electrically by flip-chip bonding. Since this system was optically complete and closed and no temperature sensitive component was used, we did not need to align the fibers, control the polarization, or control the temperature throughout the experiments. As a result, we achieved errorfree data links at 20 Gbps and high bandwidth density of 30 Tbps/cm2 with the silicon optical interposer.

Purpose Axonal damage and loss of neurons correlate with permanent vision loss and neurologic disability in patients with optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). Current therapies involve immunomodulation, with limited effects on neuronal damage. The authors examined potential neuroprotective effects in optic neuritis by SRT647 and SRT501, two structurally and mechanistically distinct activators of SIRT1, an enzyme involved in cellular stress resistance and survival. Methods Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, was induced by immunization with proteolipid protein peptide in SJL/J mice. Optic neuritis developed in two thirds of eyes with significant retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss detected 14 days after immunization. RGCs were labeled in a retrograde fashion with fluorogold by injection into superior colliculi. Optic neuritis was detected by inflammatory cell infiltration of the optic nerve. Results Intravitreal injection of SIRT1 activators 0, 3, 7, and 11 days after immunization significantly attenuated RGC loss in a dose-dependent manner. This neuroprotective effect was blocked by sirtinol, a SIRT1 inhibitor. Treatment with either SIRT1 activator did not prevent EAE or optic nerve inflammation. A single dose of SRT501 on day 11 was sufficient to limit RGC loss and to preserve axon function. Conclusions SIRT1 activators provide an important potential therapy to prevent the neuronal damage that leads to permanent neurologic disability in optic neuritis and MS patients. Intravitreal administration of SIRT1 activators does not suppress inflammation in this model, suggesting that their neuroprotective effects will be additive or synergistic with current immunomodulatory therapies. PMID:17652729

The paper presents the concept of the modalmetric fiber optic sensor system for human psychophysical activity detection. A fiber optic sensor that utilizes intensity of propagated light to monitor a patient's vital signs such as respiration cardiac activity, blood pressure and body's physical movements. The sensor, which is non-invasive, comprises an multimode fiber proximately situated to the patient so that time varying acusto-mechanical signals from the patient are coupled by the singlemode optical fiber to detector. The system can be implemented in embodiments ranging form a low cost in-home to a high end product for in hospital use. We present the laboratory test of comparing their results with the known methods like EKG. addition, the article describes the work on integrated system to human psychophysiology activity monitoring. That system including a EMFIT, microwave, fiber optic and capacitive sensors.

Ene-reductases from the ‘Old Yellow Enzyme’ family of flavoproteins catalyze the asymmetric reduction of various α,β-unsaturated compounds at the expense of a nicotinamide cofactor. They have been applied to the synthesis of valuable enantiopure products, including chiral building blocks with broad industrial applications, terpenoids, amino acid derivatives and fragrances. The combination of these highly stereoselective biocatalysts with a cofactor recycling system has allowed the development of cost-effective methods for the generation of opticallyactive molecules, which is strengthened by the availability of stereo-complementary enzyme homologues. PMID:22498437

This paper proposes a novel ultra-high-density optical fiber cable that employs rollable optical fiber ribbons. The cable has great advantages in terms of cable weight and diameter, and fiber splicing workability. Moreover, it will be easy to install in a small space in underground ducts and on residential and business premises. The structural design of the rollable optical fiber ribbon is evaluated theoretically and experimentally, and an optimum adhesion pitch P in the longitudinal direction is obtained. In addition, we examined the performance of ultra-high-density cables with a small diameter that employ rollable optical fiber ribbons and bending-loss insensitive optical fibers. The transmission, mechanical and mid-span access performance of these cables was confirmed to be excellent.

An optical multichannel analyzer capable of recording spectra at sampling rates up to 100 kHz is described. The instrument, designed to gather data on the kinetic reaction mechanisms of biological preparations such as cytochrome oxidase and bacteriorhodopsin, features a massively parallel approach in which each photosensing element of the detector array has a dedicated amplifier, integrator, analog to digital converter, and sample buffer. The design has 92 such elements divided in two separate arrays, each of which sits at the focal plane of a 1/4 m Ebert spectrometer. The spectrometers may be tuned to cover independent, 130 nm wide, regions of the spectrum from 350 nm to 900 nm with a dispersion of 2.8 nm per element. Each detection channel has 12-bit resolution with an electronic dark count of 1 count and may be sampled 1024 times during a single experiment with dynamically variable sampling intervals from 10 microseconds to several seconds. Time averaging of up to thousands of consecutive laser-initiated kinetic cycles allows analyses of spectral changes < 0.001 optical density units. A personal computer with custom software provides a number of features: entry of experiment parameters; transfer of data from temporary buffers to permanent files; real time display; multiple spectrum averaging; and control and synchronization of associated system hardware. Optical fibers or lenses provide coupling from a parabolic reflector Xenon arc monitoring light source, through the sample chamber, to the entry slit of the monochromator. The instrument has been used for extensive studies on the rapid kinetics and definition of reaction sequences of the energy-transducing enzymes cytochrome oxidase and bacteriorhodopsin. Some results from these studies are discussed. PMID:9470095

In science and industry, the alignment of beam-shaping optics is usually a manual procedure. Many industrial applications utilizing beam-shaping optical systems require more scalable production solutions and therefore effort has been invested in research regarding the automation of optics assembly. In previous works, the authors and other researchers have proven the feasibility of automated alignment of beam-shaping optics such as collimation lenses or homogenization optics. Nevertheless, the planning efforts as well as additional knowledge from the fields of automation and control required for such alignment processes are immense. This paper presents a novel approach of planning active alignment processes of beam-shaping optics with the focus of minimizing the planning efforts for active alignment. The approach utilizes optical simulation and the genetic programming paradigm from computer science for automatically extracting features from a simulated data basis with a high correlation coefficient regarding the individual degrees of freedom of alignment. The strategy is capable of finding active alignment strategies that can be executed by an automated assembly system. The paper presents a tool making the algorithm available to end-users and it discusses the results of planning the active alignment of the well-known assembly of a fast-axis collimator. The paper concludes with an outlook on the transferability to other use cases such as application specific intensity distributions which will benefit from reduced planning efforts.

An enantionselective synthesis of both enantiomers of Ki16425, which possesses selective LPA antagonistic activity, was achieved. The isoxazole core was constructed by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxide with alkyne and condensation with the opticallyactive α-phenethyl alcohol segment, which was prepared by an enantioselective reduction of arylmethylketone. Biological evaluation of both enantiomers of Ki16425 revealed that the (R)-isomer showed much higher antagonistic activity for LPA(1) and LPA(3) receptors. PMID:22658556

A new magneto-optical system has been developed to expand the range of high speed real time magneto-optical imaging. A special source for the external magnetic field has also been designed, using a pump solenoid to rapidly excite the field coil. Together with careful modifications of the cryostat, to reduce eddy currents, ramping rates reaching 3000 T/s have been achieved. Using a powerful laser as the light source, a custom designed optical assembly, and a high speed digital camera, real time imaging rates up to 30 000 frames per seconds have been demonstrated.

A new magneto-optical system has been developed to expand the range of high speed real time magneto-optical imaging. A special source for the external magnetic field has also been designed, using a pump solenoid to rapidly excite the field coil. Together with careful modifications of the cryostat, to reduce eddy currents, ramping rates reaching 3000 T/s have been achieved. Using a powerful laser as the light source, a custom designed optical assembly, and a high speed digital camera, real time imaging rates up to 30 000 frames per seconds have been demonstrated. PMID:22938303

Polarized and depolarized Raman opticalactivity spectra of menthol, menthyl chloride, neomenthol and neothiomenthol from 800 to 1500 cm -1 are reported. Despite axial symmetry in all the bonds, the presence of the heteroatoms O or S seems to induce large deviations from the expected ratio of 2:1 between the polarized and depolarized Raman opticalactivity intensities, but Cl does not. These deviations might originate in large electric quadrupole contributions induced by excited state interactions involving O or S Rydberg p orbitals and valence orbitals on other parts of the molecule. Such interactions appear to undermine the bond polarizability theory of Raman intensities.

Activeoptics for Space is relatively new field that takes advantage of lessons learnt on ground, and together with the tighter constrains of space environment it allows operation of larger mirrors apertures for space telescopes and better image quality. Technical developments are crucial to guarantee proper technological readiness for applications on new missions whose performance can be driven also by these novelties. This paper describes the philosophy pursued at ESA, providing an overview of the activities run within the Agency, as well as perspectives for new developments. The Optics Section of the Directorate of Technical and Quality Management of ESA/ESTEC is currently running three projects. Two examples are here addressed.

We report on enhanced experimental opticalactivity measurements of thin soap films in the presence of sugar. This unusual opticalactivity is linked to the intramolecular chiral conformation of the glucose molecules at the air/liquid interface. Choosing sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as a model surfactant and glucose as model sugar, favorable interactions between the anionic group -OSO3(-)- and the glucose molecules are highlighted. This induces an interfacial anchoring of glucose molecules leading to a perturbing influence of the asymmetric chiral environment. PMID:23932406

The disclosure is directed to organic particle sorting and identification. High frequency pulses of circularly polarized light, alternating between left and right, intersect a fast moving stream of organic particles. Circular intensity differential scattering and linear intensity differential scattering are monitored to uniquely identify a variety of organic particles.

Widespread physics education research has shown that most introductory physics students have difficulty learning essential optics concepts - even in the best of traditional courses, and that well-designed active learning approaches can remedy this problem. This mini-workshop and the associated poster session will provide direct experience with methods for promoting students' active involvement in the learning process in lecture and laboratory. Participants will have hands-on experience with activities from RealTime Physics labs and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations - a learning strategy for large (and small) lectures, including specially designed Optics Magic Tricks. The poster will provide more details on these highly effective curricula.

We derive the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation in chiral optical fiber with right- and left-hand nonlinear polarization. We use the similarity transformation to reduce the generalized chiral NLS equation to the higher-order integrable Hirota equation. We present the first- and second-order rational solutions of the chiral NLS equation with variable and constant coefficients, based on the modified Darboux transformation method. For some specific set of parameters, the features of chiral optical rogue waves are analyzed from analytical results, showing the influence of opticalactivity on waves. We also generate the exact solutions of the two-component coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which describe opticalactivity effects on the propagation of rogue waves, and their properties in linear and nonlinear coupling cases are investigated. The condition of modulation instability of the background reveals the existence of vector rogue waves and the number of stable and unstable branches. Controllability of chiral optical rogue waves is examined by numerical simulations and may bring potential applications in optical fibers and in many other physical systems.

The scientific goals of X-ray astronomy are considered to evaluate the relative advantages of using classical Wolter-1 optics or using a different approach. The portion of the X-ray band over 10 keV is unexploited in the present X-ray optics technology, and focussing in this portion of the band is crucial because nonfocussed experiments are background limited. The basic design of 'hard' X-ray optics is described theoretically emphasizing the very small angles of incidence in the grazing-incidence optics. Optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio is found to occur at a finite angular resolution. In real applications, the effective area reduced by the efficiency of the two reflections is 80 percent at energies up to 40 keV, and the quality of the reflecting surface can be monitored to minimize scattering. Focussing optics are found to offer improvements in signal-to-noise as well as more effective scientific return because microelectronic focal-plane technology is employed.

A layered spiral microstructured optical fiber (LS-MOF) is presented, which offers the possibility of a good control of both the dispersion and the nonlinear properties. The proposed design is analyzed using a finite element method considering silica and air as the materials. Zero dispersion, low confinement loss, and a record value of γ = 70.0 W-1/km for the LS-MOF nonlinear parameter are simultaneously obtained at 1.55 μm, whereas a higher value γ = 169.4 W-1/km can be achieved at 1.06 μm. Our results demonstrate the great potential of the LS-MOF for several nonlinear applications, namely for an efficient generation of the supercontinuum.

We discuss the design and implementation of a low-cost, high-resolution adaptive optics test-bed for vision research. It is well known that high-order aberrations in the human eye reduce optical resolution and limit visual acuity. However, the effects of aberration-free eyesight on vision are only now beginning to be studied using adaptive optics to sense and correct the aberrations in the eye. We are developing a high-resolution adaptive optics system for this purpose using a Hamamatsu Parallel Aligned Nematic Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator. Phase-wrapping is used to extend the effective stroke of the device, and the wavefront sensing and wavefront correction are done at different wavelengths. Issues associated with these techniques will be discussed.

Nonlinear optical phenomena are typically local. Here we predict the possibility of highly nonlocal optical nonlinearities for light propagating in atomic media trapped near a nano-waveguide, where long-range interactions between the atoms can be tailored. When the atoms are in an electromagnetically-induced transparency configuration, the atomic interactions are translated to long-range interactions between photons and thus to highly nonlocal optical nonlinearities. We derive and analyze the governing nonlinear propagation equation, finding a roton-like excitation spectrum for light and the emergence of long-range order in its output intensity. These predictions open the door to studies of unexplored wave dynamics and many-body physics with highly-nonlocal interactions of optical fields in one dimension.

The results of the 'Preliminary Analysis of WL Experiment no. 701, Space Environment Effects on Operating Fiber Optic Systems,' is correlated with space simulated post retrieval terrestrial studies performed on the M0004 experiment. Temperature cycling measurements were performed on the activeoptical data links for the purpose of assessing link signal to noise ratio and bit error rate performance some 69 months following the experiment deployment in low Earth orbit. The early results indicate a high correlation between pre-orbit, orbit, and post-orbit functionality of the first known and longest space demonstration of operating fiber optic systems.

Future generations of communication systems demand ultra high speed data processing and switching components. Conventional electrical parts have reached their bottleneck both speed-wise and efficiency-wise. The idea of manipulating high speed data in optical domain is gaining more popularity. In this PhD thesis work, we proposed and demonstrated various schemes of all-optical Boolean logic gate at data rate as high as 80Gb/s by using semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), SOA Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI), highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) and optical fiber based components. With the invention of quantum dot (QD) based semiconductor devices, speed limit of all optical data processing has a chance to boost up to 250Gb/s. We proposed and simulated QD-SOA based Boolean functions, and their application such as shift register and pseudorandom bit sequence generation (PRBS). Clock and data recovery of high speed data signals has been simulated and demonstrated by injection lock and phase lock loop techniques in a fiber and SOA ring and an optical-electrical (OE) feedback loop.

In this paper, we report the recent progress in optical-beam scanning fiber interferometry for potential online nanoscale surface measurement based on the previous research. It attempts to generate a robust and miniature measurement device for future development into a multiprobe array measurement system. In this research, both fiber-optic-interferometry and the wavelength-division-multiplexing techniques have been used, so that the optical probe and the optical interferometer are well spaced and fast surface scanning can be carried out, allowing flexibility for online measurement. In addition, this system provides a self-reference signal to stabilize the optical detection with high common-mode noise suppression by adopting an active phase tracking and stabilization technique. Low-frequency noise was significantly reduced compared with unstabilized result. The measurement of a sample surface shows an attained repeatability of 3.3 nm.

Optical cell constructed for measurement of thermal diffusivity of HgCdTe semiconductor by laser pulses. Container allows radiation from laser to enter one side of alloy sample, while allowing lower-energy infrared radiation to leave opposite side of sample so temperature rise read by sensor. Composed entirely of fused silica, cell includes two optical windows joined by tube. Cell withstands 1,000 degrees C cell-operating temperature and contains molten alloy at its 100-atmosphere vapor pressure. Finally, allows alloy to solidify without bursting even though alloy expands on cooling.

Amplification characteristics of graded-index (GI) type organic dye doped polymer optical fiber amplifiers (POFAs) are discussed. As an organic dye for optical amplification, Rhodamine 6G, Rhodamine B, and Perylene Red are doped in the core region of polymer optical fibers (POFs). These POFA can obtain optical gain in the visible region of wavelength from 570 nm to 620 nm. POFA is promising for extraordinary high power optical amplification in comparison with rare-earth ions doped silica fiber amplifier. For example, output power of 1 kW with a gain of 30 dB can be obtained by using a Rhodamine B doped POFA at a low dye concentration of 1 ppm. Additionally, a novel solid-state POFA amplifier system is demonstrated.

A new technical advancement in the field of precision aluminum optics permits high quality optical polishing of aluminum monolith, which, in the field of optics, offers numerous benefits because of its machinability, lightweight, and low cost. This invention combines diamond turning and conventional polishing along with india ink, a newly adopted material, for the polishing to accomplish a significant improvement in surface precision of aluminum monolith for optical purposes. This invention guarantees the precise optical polishing of typical bare aluminum monolith to surface roughness of less than about 30 angstroms rms and preferably about 5 angstroms rms while maintaining a surface figure accuracy in terms of surface figure error of not more than one-fifteenth of wave peak-to-valley.

A new technical advancement in the field of precision aluminum optics permits high quality optical polishing of aluminum monolith, which, in the field of optics, offers numerous benefits because of its machinability, lightweight, and low cost. This invention combines diamond turning and conventional polishing along with india ink, a newly adopted material, for the polishing to accomplish a significant improvement in surface precision of aluminum monolith for optical purposes. This invention guarantees the precise optical polishing of typical bare aluminum monolith to surface roughness of less than about 30 angstroms rms and preferably about 5 angstroms rms while maintaining a surface figure accuracy in terms of surface figure error of not more than one-fifteenth of wave peak-to-valley.

A method, systems, apparatus and device enable high bandwidth satellite communications. An onboard tracking detector, installed in a low-earth orbit satellite, detects a position of an incoming optical beam received/transmitted from a first ground station of one or more ground stations. Tracker electronics determine orientation information of the incoming optical beam based on the position. Control electronics receive the orientation information from the tracker electronics, and control a waveguide drive electronics. The waveguide drive electronics control a voltage that is provided to an electro-optic waveguide beam steering device. The electro-optic waveguide beam steering device steers an outgoing optical beam to one of the one or more ground stations based on the voltage.

An active needle is proposed for the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided percutaneous procedures. The needle uses a low-transition-temperature shape memory alloy (LT SMA) wire actuator to produce bending in the distal section of the needle. Actuation is achieved with internal optical heating using laser light transported via optical fibers and side coupled to the LT SMA. A prototype, with a size equivalent to a standard 16-gauge biopsy needle, exhibits significant bending, with a tip deflection of more than 14° in air and 5° in hard tissue. A single-ended optical sensor with a gold-coated tip is developed to measure the curvature independently of temperature. The experimental results in tissue phantoms show that human tissue causes fast heat dissipation from the wire actuator; however, the active needle can compensate for typical targeting errors during prostate biopsy. PMID:26512231

In this paper we reviewed the applications of functional near infrared optical imager in human brain activity. Optical imaging results of brain activity, including memory for new association, emotional thinking, mental arithmetic, pattern recognition ' where's Waldo?, occipital cortex in visual stimulation, and motor cortex in finger tapping, are demonstrated. It is shown that the NIR optical method opens up new fields of study of the human population, in adults under conditions of simulated or real stress that may have important effects upon functional performance. It makes practical and affordable for large populations the complex technology of measuring brain function. It is portable and low cost. In cognitive tasks subjects could report orally. The temporal resolution could be millisecond or less in theory. NIR method will have good prospects in exploring human brain secret.

Semiconductor optical amplifiers are important for wide range of applications including optical networks, optical tomography and optical logic systems. For many of these applications particularly for optical networks and optical logic high speed performance of the SOA is important. The speed of operation of SOA is limited by the gain and phase recovery times in the SOA. We have demonstrated higher speed operation (i) for SOAs with a carrier reservoir layer, (ii) for SOAs with a multi-quantum well modulation doped active region, and, (iii) for SOAs with a quantum dot (QD) active region. The multi-quantum well SOA has been integrated with InGaAsP/InP based waveguides to build Mach- Zehnder interferometers (MZI). XOR optical logic has been demonstrated at 80 Gb/s using these SOA-MZI structures. XOR operation has been analyzed by solving the rate equation of the SOA, for SOAs with both regular and QD active region. Mach-Zehnder interferometers fabricated using SOA with quantum dot active region (QD-SOA) can be used for XOR operation at 250 Gb/s. Pseudo random bit stream (PRBS) generation using both regular and QD-SOA have been studied and their performance modeled. The model shows QD-SOA based devices can be used to produce PRBS generators that operate near 250 Gb/s.

Realistic cell models could greatly accelerate our ability to engineer biochemical pathways and the production of valuable organic products, which would be of great use in the development of biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and the crops for the next green revolution. However, this level of engineering will require a great deal more knowledge about the mechanisms of life than is currently available. In particular, we need to understand the interactome (which proteins interact) as it is situated in the three dimensional geometry of the cell (i.e., a situated interactome), and the regulation/dynamics of these interactions. Methods for optical proteomics have become available that allow the monitoring and even disruption/control of interacting proteins in living cells. Here, a range of these methods is reviewed with respect to their role in elucidating the interactome and the relevant spatial localizations. Development of these technologies and their integration into the core competencies of research organizations can position whole institutions and teams of researchers to lead in both the fundamental science and the engineering applications of cellular biology. That leadership could be particularly important with respect to problems of national urgency centered around security, biofuels, and healthcare.

Choppers are optomechatronic devices used for the modulation of light: to attenuate or eliminate certain wavelength ranges or to generate series of laser impulses with different profiles. We have previously made a detailed study on choppers with rotating wheels with different configurations (with windows with linear and with non-linear margins) - and for different types of laser beams (i.e., top-hat, Gaussian and Bessel). In this paper we report a novel configuration of optical choppers with fast rotating elements (patent pending). The possible configurations of the device are discussed, and several chopper types are presented. The modulation functions of one of the types of choppers newly introduced (i.e., the functions of the transmitted flux) are deduced and studied with regard to the geometry of the device. Comparison with other types of choppers - classical and eclipse (the latter introduced by us) - are being made. Aspects like chop frequency, attenuation coefficient, and profile of the light impulses transmitted by the device are taken into account.

We report an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser. A simple and low-insertion-loss acousto-optic modulator driven by standing flexural waves, which couples core-to-cladding modes in a standard single-mode optical fiber, is used as an active mechanism for mode locking. Among the remarkable features of the modulator, we mention its high modulation depth (72%), broad bandwidth (187 GHz), easy tunability in the optical wavelength, and low insertion losses (0.7 dB). The narrowest optical pulses obtained were of 95 ps time width, 21 mW peak power, repetition rate of 4.758 MHz, and 110 mW of pump power. PMID:21081995

Consideration is given to quasi-optical power combining techniques, state-of-the-art demonstrated performance, and system issues as they apply to endoatmospheric homing seeker insertion. Quasi-optical power combining is based on combining microwave and millimeter-wave solid-state device power in space through the use of antennas and lenses. It is concluded that quasi-optical power combining meets the severe electrical requirements and packaging constraints of active MMW seekers for endoatmospheric hit-to-kill missiles. The approach provides the possibility of wafer-scale integration of major components for low cost production and offers high reliability. Critical issues include thermal loading and system integration, which must be resolved before the quasi-optical power combining technology will be applied to an active MMW seeker.

Consideration is given to quasi-optical power combining techniques, state-of-the-art demonstrated performance, and system issues as they apply to endoatmospheric homing seeker insertion. Quasi-optical power combining is based on combining microwave and millimeter-wave solid-state device power in space through the use of antennas and lenses. It is concluded that quasi-optical power combining meets the severe electrical requirements and packaging constraints of active MMW seekers for endoatmospheric hit-to-kill missiles. The approach provides the possibility of wafer-scale integration of major components for low cost production and offers high reliability. Critical issues include thermal loading and system integration, which must be resolved before the quasi-optical power combining technology will be applied to an active MMW seeker. 18 refs.

We developed two tightly regulated, light-activated Cre recombinase enzymes through site-specific incorporation of two genetically-encoded photocaged amino acids in human cells. Excellent optical off to on switching of DNA recombination was achieved. Furthermore, we demonstrated precise spatial control of Cre recombinase through patterned illumination. PMID:27277957

Utilizing an optical coherence tomography measurement, we have developed a technique that actively uses a dielectric response due to an induced dipole moment caused by a mode-locked pulsed laser light source. Irradiated laser light in the material induces a photo-induced electric dipole resulting in a refractive index change for its strong electric field. Using this technique, we obtained a highly sensitive fundus retina tomogram of a human eye in vivo with a resolution of 1.3 μm by single scanning for 20 ms using 8 fs mode-locked pulse laser light with a 350 nm spread spectrum.

High resolution spectroscopy experiments with visible adaptive optics (AO) telescopes at Starfire Optical Range and Mt. Wilson have demonstrated that spectral resolution can be routinely improved by a factor of - 10 over the seeing-limited case with no extra light losses at visible wavelengths. With large CCDs now available, a very wide wavelength range can be covered in a single exposure. In the near future, most large ground-based telescopes will be equipped with powerful A0 systems. Most of these systems are aimed primarily at diffraction-limited operation in the near IR. An exciting new opportunity will thus open up for high resolution IR spectroscopy. Immersion echelle gratings with much coarser grooves being developed by us at LLNL will play a critical role in achieving high spectral resolution with a compact and low cost IR cryogenically cooled spectrograph and simultaneous large wavelength coverage on relatively small IR detectors. We have constructed a new A0 optimized spectrograph at Steward Observatory to provide R = 200,000 in the optical, which is being commissioned at the Starfire Optical Range 3.5m telescope. We have completed the optical design of the LLNL IR Immersion Spectrograph (LISPEC) to take advantage of improved silicon etching technology. Key words: adaptive optics, spectroscopy, high resolution, immersion gratings

The specific optical absorption of an organic semiconductor is critical to the performance of organic optoelectronic devices. For example, higher light-harvesting efficiency can lead to higher photocurrent in solar cells that are limited by sub-optimal electrical transport. Here, we compare over 40 conjugated polymers, and find that many different chemical structures share an apparent maximum in their extinction coefficients. However, a diketopyrrolopyrrole-thienothiophene copolymer shows remarkably highoptical absorption at relatively low photon energies. By investigating its backbone structure and conformation with measurements and quantum chemical calculations, we find that the highoptical absorption can be explained by the high persistence length of the polymer. Accordingly, we demonstrate high absorption in other polymers with high theoretical persistence length. Visible light harvesting may be enhanced in other conjugated polymers through judicious design of the structure. PMID:27183327

The imminent limitations of electronic integrated circuits are stimulating intense activity in the area of nanophotonics for the development of on-chip optical components, and solutions incorporating direct-bandgap semiconductors are important in achieving this end. Optical processing of data at the nanometre scale is promising for circumventing these limitations, but requires the development of a toolbox of components including emitters, detectors, modulators, waveguides and switches. In comparison to components fabricated using top-down methods, semiconductor nanowires offer superior surface properties and stronger optical confinement. They are therefore ideal candidates for nanoscale optical network components, as well as model systems for understanding optical confinement. Here, we demonstrate all-optical switching in individual CdS nanowire cavities with subwavelength dimensions through stimulated polariton scattering, as well as a functional NAND gate built from multiple switches. The device design exploits the strong light-matter coupling present in these nanowires, leading to footprints that are a fraction of those of comparable silicon-based dielectric contrast and photonic crystal devices.

Signaling of information in the vertebrate central nervous system is often carried by populations of neurons rather than individual neurons. Also propagation of suprathreshold spiking activity involves populations of neurons. Empirical studies addressing cortical function directly thus require recordings from populations of neurons with high resolution. Here we describe an optical method and a deconvolution algorithm to record neural activity from up to 100 neurons with single-cell and single-spike resolution. This method relies on detection of the transient increases in intracellular somatic calcium concentration associated with suprathreshold electrical spikes (action potentials) in cortical neurons. High temporal resolution of the optical recordings is achieved by a fast random-access scanning technique using acousto-optical deflectors (AODs)1. Two-photon excitation of the calcium-sensitive dye results in high spatial resolution in opaque brain tissue2. Reconstruction of spikes from the fluorescence calcium recordings is achieved by a maximum-likelihood method. Simultaneous electrophysiological and optical recordings indicate that our method reliably detects spikes (>97% spike detection efficiency), has a low rate of false positive spike detection (< 0.003 spikes/sec), and a high temporal precision (about 3 msec) 3. This optical method of spike detection can be used to record neural activity in vitro and in anesthetized animals in vivo3,4. PMID:22972033

In this work we propose the use of power over fiber (PoF) and free space optics (FSO) techniques to powering and receive signals from an electrical current sensor placed at high voltage potential using a pair of optical collimators. The technique evaluation was performed in a laboratorial prototype using 62.5/125 μm multimode fiber to study the sensitivity of the optical alignment and the influence of the collimation process in the sensing system wavelengths: data communication (1310 nm) and powering (830 nm). The collimators were installed in a rigid electric insulator in order to maintain the stability of transmission.

New optical designs strive to achieve extreme performance, and continually increase the complexity of prescribed optical shapes, which often require wide dynamic range and high resolution. SCOTS, or the Software Configurable Optical Test System, can measure a wide range of optical surfaces with high sensitivity using surface slope. This dissertation introduces a high resolution version of SCOTS called SPOTS, or the Slope measuring Portable Optical Test System. SPOTS improves the metrology of surface features on the order of sub-millimeter to decimeter spatial scales and nanometer to micrometer level height scales. Currently there is no optical surface metrology instrument with the same utility. SCOTS uses a computer controlled display (such as an LCD monitor) and camera to measure surface slopes over the entire surface of a mirror. SPOTS differs in that an additional lens is placed near the surface under test. A small prototype system is discussed in general, providing the support for the design of future SPOTS devices. Then the SCOTS instrument transfer function is addressed, which defines the way the system filters surface heights. Lastly, the calibration and performance of larger SPOTS device is analyzed with example measurements of the 8.4-m diameter aspheric Large Synoptic Survey Telescope's (LSST) primary mirror. In general optical systems have a transfer function, which filters data. In the case of optical imaging systems the instrument transfer function (ITF) follows the modulation transfer function (MTF), which causes a reduction of contrast as a function of increasing spatial frequency due to diffraction. In SCOTS, ITF is shown to decrease the measured height of surface features as their spatial frequency increases, and thus the SCOTS and SPOTS ITF is proportional to their camera system's MTF. Theory and simulations are supported by a SCOTS measurement of a test piece with a set of lithographically written sinusoidal surface topographies. In addition, an

The region surrounding the Llano de Chajnantor, a high-altitude plateau in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, has caught the attention of the astronomical community for its potential as an observatory site. Combining high elevation and extremely low atmospheric water content, the Llano has been chosen as the future site of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. We have initiated a campaign to investigate the astronomical potential of the region in the optical/infrared. Here we report on an aspect of our campaign aimed at establishing a seeing benchmark to be used as a reference for future activities in the region. After a brief description of the region and its climate, we describe the results of an astronomical seeing campaign, carried out with a Differential Image Motion Monitor that operates at 0.5 μm wavelength. The seeing at the Llano altitude of 5000 m, measured over 7 nights in 1998 May, yielded a median FWHM of 1.1". However, the seeing decreased to 0.7" at a modest 100 m gain above the plateau (Cerro Chico), as measured over 38 nights spread between 1998 July and 2000 October. Neither of these represents the best seeing expected in the region; the set of measurements provides a reference base for simultaneous dual runs at Cerro Chico and at other sites of interest in the region, currently underway. A comparison between simultaneous measurements at Cerro Chico and Cerro Paranal indicates that the seeing at Cerro Chico is about 12% better than that at Paranal. The percentage of optically photometric nights in the Chajnantor region is about 60%, while that of nights useful for astronomical work is near 80%.

A fiber-optic electric field sensor was developed to measure electric field up to 18 MV/m. The sensor uses resonant coupling between an optical fiber and a nonlinear electro-optical crystal. The sensing system uses high dielectric strength materials to eliminate dielectric breakdown. A postprocessing nonlinear calibration method is developed that maps voltage change to wavelength shift and then converts the wavelength shift to electric field using the transmission spectrum. The nonlinear calibration method is compared against the linear method with electric field pulses having magnitudes from 1.5 to 18 MV/m. PMID:26835936

A method for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N{sub 2} is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation.

A method is disclosed for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N[sub 2] is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation. 7 figs.

A method for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N.sub.2 is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation.

We report optical studies of pentacene monolayers grown on poly-alpha-methyl-styrene (PAMS) substrates of high uniformity that reaches into the micron length-scale in the lateral dimension. Raman scattering intensities from a two-monolayer pentacene film exhibit large resonance enhancements when incoming and outgoing photon energies overlap the free exciton measured in optical emission. The incoming and outgoing resonance enhancements are of about the same strength. The free exciton optical emission band is sharp and intense, and it blue-shifts by about 85 meV from that of the pentacene single crystal.

Live cell optical sensing employs label-free optical biosensors to non-invasively measure stimulus-induced dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) in live cells within the sensing volume of the biosensor. The resultant DMR signal is an integrated cellular response, and reflects cell signaling mediated through the cellular target(s) with which the stimulus intervenes. This article describes the uses of live cell optical sensing for probing cell biology and ligand pharmacology, with an emphasis of resonant waveguide grating biosensor cellular assays for high throughput applications.

A computation speed of more than 100 Gbps is experimentally demonstrated using our developed ultrahigh-speed optical correlator. To verify this high computation speed practically, the computation speeds of our optical correlator and conventional digital image matching are quantitatively compared. We use a population count function that achieves the fastest calculation speed when calculating binary matching by a central processing unit (CPU). The calculation speed of the optical correlator is dramatically faster than that using a CPU (2.40 GHz × 4) and 16 GB of random access memory, especially when the calculation data are large-scale.

In this paper we present our recent research results in synthesizing various metal oxide nanoparticles for use as laser gain media (solid state as well as fiber lasers) and transparent ceramic windows via two separate techniques, co-precipitation and flame spray pyrolysis. The nanoparticles were pressed into ceramic discs that exhibited optical transmission approaching the theoretical limit and showed very highoptical-to-optical lasing slope efficiency. We have also synthesized sesquioxide nanoparticles using a Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP) technique that leads to the synthesis of a metastable phase of sesquioxide which allows fabricating excellent optical quality transparent windows with very fine grain sizes. Finally, we present our research in the synthesis of rare earth doped boehmite nanoparticles where the rareearth ion is encased in a cage of aluminum and oxygen to prevent ion-ion proximity and energy transfer. The preforms have been drawn into fibers exhibiting long lifetimes and high laser efficiencies.

Optical imaging technologies can be used to record neural and hemodynamic activity. Neural activity elicits physiological changes that alter the optical tissue properties. Specifically, changes in polarized light are concomitant with neural depolarization. We measured polarization changes from an isolated lobster nerve during action potential propagation using both reflected and transmitted light. In transmission mode, polarization changes were largest throughout the center of the nerve, suggesting that most of the optical signal arose from the inner nerve bundle. In reflection mode, polarization changes were largest near the edges, suggesting that most of the optical signal arose from the outer sheath. To overcome irregular cell orientation found in the brain, we measured polarization changes from a nerve tied in a knot. Our results show that neural activation produces polarization changes that can be imaged even without regular cell orientations. Neural activation expends energy resources and elicits metabolic delivery through blood vessel dilation, increasing blood flow and volume. We used spectroscopic imaging techniques combined with electrophysiological measurements to record evoked neural and hemodynamic responses from the auditory cortex of the rat. By using implantable optics, we measured responses across natural wake and sleep states, as well as responses following different amounts of sleep deprivation. During quiet sleep, evoked metabolic responses were larger compared to wake, perhaps because blood vessels were more compliant. When animals were sleep deprived, evoked hemodynamic responses were smaller following longer periods of deprivation. These results suggest that prolonged neural activity through sleep deprivation may diminish vascular compliance as indicated by the blunted vascular response. Subsequent sleep may allow vessels to relax, restoring their ability to deliver blood. These results also suggest that severe sleep deprivation or chronic

The photoreaction center (RC) of purple bacteria contains four bacteriochlorophyll (Bph) and two bacteriopheophytin (Bph) molecules as prosthetic groups. Their opticalactivity, as measured by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, is largely increased in situ as compared to organic solutions. The all-exciton hypothesis posits that this enhanced opticalactivity is entirely due to excitonic interactions between the electronic transitions of all six bacteriochlorin molecules. Using the simple exciton theory, this model predicts that the near-infrared CD spectra should be conservative. The fact that they are not, whether the special pair of Bch (SP) that constitutes the primary electron donor is reduced or oxidized, has been explained by hyperchromic effects. The present work tests this hypothesis by successively eliminating the absorption and, therefore, the opticalactivity of the Bphs and of the non-special-pair (non-SP) Bchs. This was accomplished by trapping these pigments in their reduced state. RC preparations with the four non-SP bacteriochlorins trapped in their reduced state and, therefore, with an intact SP displayed conservative CD spectra. RC preparations with only the electronic transitions of SP and of one non-SP Bch also showed conservative CD spectra. These conservative CD spectra and their corresponding absorption spectra were simulated using simple exciton theory without assuming hyperchromic effects. Bleaching half of the 755-nm absorption band by phototrapping one of the two Bph molecules led to the complete disappearance of the corresponding CD band. This cannot be explained by the all-exciton hypothesis. These results suggest that the opticalactivity of the SP alone, or with one non-SP Bch, is due to excitonic interactions. They also suggest that the opticalactivity of the other three bacteriochlorins is due to other factors, such as pigment-protein interaction. 32 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

Gratings with high efficiency in a single diffracted order can be realized with both volume holographic and diffractive optical elements. However, each method has limitations that restrict the applications in which they can be used. For example, high efficiency volume holographic gratings require an appropriate combination of thickness and permittivity modulation throughout the bulk of the material. Possible combinations of those two characteristics are limited by properties of currently available materials, thus restricting the range of applications for volume holographic gratings. Efficiency of a diffractive optic grating is dependent on its approximation of an ideal analog profile using discrete features. The size of constituent features and, consequently, the number that can be used within a required grating period restricts the applications in which diffractive optic gratings can be used. These limitations imply that there are applications which cannot be addressed by either technology. In this paper we propose to address a number of applications in this category with a new method of creating high efficiency gratings which we call stratified diffractive optic gratings. In this approach diffractive optic techniques are used to create an optical structure that emulates volume grating behavior. To illustrate the stratified diffractive optic grating concept we consider a specific application, a scanner for a space-based coherent wind lidar, with requirements that would be difficult to meet by either volume holographic or diffractive optic methods. The lidar instrument design specifies a transmissive scanner element with the input beam normally incident and the exiting beam deflected at a fixed angle from the optical axis. The element will be rotated about the optical axis to produce a conical scan pattern. The wavelength of the incident beam is 2.06 microns and the required deflection angle is 30 degrees, implying a grating period of approximately 4 microns

In this paper, an array of blue LEDs with highoptical power was presented and discussed. Optical of the novel design was completed with the help of running simulation in TracePro to predict the performance of the module. 36 Cree XP-E blue LEDs with a square reflector were used in the novel design. Optical simulation obtained from TracePro showed that the total optical power of the LED array could reach 16.83W. To verify the simulation results, Aluminum PCB, Copper PCB and Aluminum square reflector have been made respectively. Firstly, 36 Cree XP-E blue LEDs with small-pitch were fixed on each PCB, then; an Aluminum square reflector was assembled on each PCB. This optical module was installed on a radiator and tested. The optical output power of sample 1 used Aluminum PCB and Aluminum reflector and sample 2 used Copper PCB and Aluminum reflector was 8.126W and 9.445W at 2A, respectively. It could be observed that the optical output power of sample 2 was higher than that of sample 1. It could be attributed to the better thermal dispersion performance of Copper. In order to improve the light reflectivity and reduce the loss of light, ultrathin silver was coated on the Aluminum reflector by electron beam evaporation. The optical output power of sample 3 used Copper PCB and silver-plated Aluminum reflector was 12.541W at 2A. A uniform square spot with highoptical power was obtained.

Over three quarters in 2010 - 2011, Kepler monitored optical emission from four active galactic nuclei (AGN) with approx 30 min sampling, > 90% duty cycle and approx < 0.1% repeatability. These data determined the AGN optical fluctuation power spectral density functions (PSDs) over a wide range in temporal frequency. Fits to these PSDs yielded power law slopes of -2.6 to -3.3, much steeper than typically seen in the X-rays. We find evidence that individual AGN exhibit intrinsically different PSD slopes. The steep PSD fits are a challenge to recent AGN variability models but seem consistent with first order MRI theoretical calculations of accretion disk fluctuations.

Following a recent theoretical suggestion and microwave experiments, we fabricate photonic metamaterials composed of pairs of twisted gold crosses using two successive electron-beam-lithography steps and intermediate planarization via a spin-on dielectric. The resulting two effective resonances of the coupled system lie in the 1-2 microm wavelength regime and exhibit pronounced circular dichroism, while the circular polarization conversion is very small. In between the two resonances, we find a fairly broad spectral regime with strong opticalactivity, i.e., with a pure rotation of incident linear polarization. The measured optical transmittance spectra agree well with theory. PMID:19684829

The principle of all-optical logical operations utilizing the unique nonlinear optical properties of a protein was demonstrated by a logic gate constructed from an integrated optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer as a passive structure, covered by a bacteriorhodopsin (bR) adlayer as the active element. Logical operations were based on a reversible change of the refractive index of the bR adlayer over one or both arms of the interferometer. Depending on the operating point of the interferometer, we demonstrated binary and ternary logical modes of operation. Using an ultrafast transition of the bR photocycle (BR-K), we achieved high-speed (nanosecond) logical switching. This is the fastest operation of a protein-based integrated optical logic gate that has been demonstrated so far. The results are expected to have important implications for finding novel, alternative solutions in all-optical data processing research. PMID:23500476

We demonstrate high-speed, high-sensitivity, high-resolution optical imaging based on optical frequency-domain interferometry using a rapidly-tuned wavelength-swept laser. We derive and show experimentally that frequency-domain ranging provides a superior signal-to-noise ratio compared with conventional time-domain ranging as used in optical coherence tomography. A high sensitivity of −110 dB was obtained with a 6 mW source at an axial resolution of 13.5 µm and an A-line rate of 15.7 kHz, representing more than an order-of-magnitude improvement compared with previous OCT and interferometric imaging methods. PMID:19471415

A thorough theoretical study of the opticalactivity in planar chiral metamaterial (PCM) structures, made of both dielectric and metallic media, is conducted by the analysis of gammadion-shaped nanoparticle arrays. The general polarization properties are first analyzed from an effective-medium perspective, by analogy with natural opticalactivity, and then verified by rigorous numerical simulation, some of which are corroborated by previous experimental results. The numerical analysis suggests that giant polarization rotation (tens of degrees) may be achieved in the PCM structures with a thickness of only hundreds of nanometers. The artificial opticalactivity arises from circular birefringence induced by the structural chirality and is enhanced by the guided-mode or surface-plasmon resonances taking place in the structures. There are two polarization conversion types in the dielectric PCMs, whereas only one type in the metallic ones. Many intriguing features of the polarization property of PCMs are also revealed and explained: the polarization effect is reciprocal and vanishes in the symmetrically layered structures; the effect occurs only in the transmitted field, but not in the reflected field; and the polarization spectra of two enantiomeric PCM structures are mirror symmetric to each other. These remarkable properties pave the way for the PCMs to be used as polarization elements in new-generation integrated optical systems.

Since 1993, research in the fabrication of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optical imaging systems, conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has produced the highest resolution optical systems ever made. We have pioneered the development of ultra-high-accuracy optical testing and alignment methods, working at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, and pushing wavefront-measuring interferometry into the 2-20-nm wavelength range (60-600 eV). These coherent measurement techniques, including lateral shearing interferometry and phase-shifting point-diffraction interferometry (PS/PDI) have achieved RMS wavefront measurement accuracies of 0.5-1-{angstrom} and better for primary aberration terms, enabling the creation of diffraction-limited EUV optics. The measurement accuracy is established using careful null-testing procedures, and has been verified repeatedly through high-resolution imaging. We believe these methods are broadly applicable to the advancement of short-wavelength optical systems including space telescopes, microscope objectives, projection lenses, synchrotron beamline optics, diffractive and holographic optics, and more. Measurements have been performed on a tunable undulator beamline at LBNL's Advanced Light Source (ALS), optimized for high coherent flux; although many of these techniques should be adaptable to alternative ultraviolet, EUV, and soft x-ray light sources. To date, we have measured nine prototype all-reflective EUV optical systems with NA values between 0.08 and 0.30 (f/6.25 to f/1.67). These projection-imaging lenses were created for the semiconductor industry's advanced research in EUV photolithography, a technology slated for introduction in 2009-13. This paper reviews the methods used and our program's accomplishments to date.

The development of optoelectronic components for gigabit Ethernet communications is converging towards access networks where the cost of device makes a significant impact on the market acceptance. Device fabrication and packaging cost have to be brought down with novel assembly and packaging methods. Singapore has established a reputation in semiconductor device development and fabrication with excellent process and packaging facilities. Institute of Microelectronics (IME) was founded in 1991 to add value to the Singapore electronics industry. IME is involved in the development of active and passive photonics components using Silicon and polymer materials. We present a brief report on the development activities taking place in the field of optical component packaging at IME in recent years. We present a review of our competence and some of the optical device packaging activities that are being undertaken.

The pace of development in the field of advanced microscopy is truly breath-taking, and is leading to major breakthroughs in our understanding of molecular machines and cell function. This special issue of Journal of Optics draws attention to a number of interesting approaches, ranging from fluorescence and imaging of unlabelled cells, to computational methods, all of which are describing the ever increasing detail of the dynamic behaviour of molecules in the living cell. This is a field which traditionally, and currently, demonstrates a marvellous interplay between the disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology, where apparent boundaries to resolution dissolve and living cells are viewed in ever more clarity. It is fertile ground for those interested in optics and non-conventional imaging to contribute high-impact outputs in the fields of cell biology and biomedicine. The series of articles presented here has been selected to demonstrate this interdisciplinarity and to encourage all those with a background in the physical sciences to 'dip their toes' into the exciting and dynamic discoveries surrounding cell function. Although single molecule super-resolution microscopy is commercially available, specimen preparation and interpretation of single molecule data remain a major challenge for scientists wanting to adopt the techniques. The paper by Allen and Davidson [1] provides a much needed detailed introduction to the practical aspects of stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, including sample preparation, image acquisition and image analysis, as well as a brief description of the different variants of single molecule localization microscopy. Since super-resolution microscopy is no longer restricted to three-dimensional imaging of fixed samples, the review by Fiolka [2] is a timely introduction to techniques that have been successfully applied to four-dimensional live cell super-resolution microscopy. The combination of multiple high-resolution techniques

Embedded VO{sub 2} precipitates have been formed in single-crystal sapphire by the ion co-implantation of vanadium and oxygen and subsequent thermal annealing. The embedded VO{sub 2} particles have been shown to exhibit an optical switching behavior that is comparable to that of continuous thin films. In this work, the mechanisms of formation of these opticallyactive particles are investigated. It is shown that precipitation of the vanadium dioxide phase is favored when the thermal treatment is performed on an ion-damaged but still crystalline (rather than amorphized) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrate. The best optical switching behavior is observed in this case, and this behavior is apparently correlated with a more-favorable dispersion of VO{sub 2} small particles inside the matrix.

A portable hand-held solid state rod laser system and an optically-ignited detonator have been developed for use in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) activities. Laser prototypes from Whittaker Ordnance and Universal Propulsion have been tested and evaluated. The optical detonator contains 2-(5 cyanotetrazolato) pentaamine cobalt(III) perchlorate (CP) as the DDT column and the explosive Octahydro- 1,3,5,7 - tetrazocine (HMX) as the output charge. The laser is designed to have an output of 150 mJ in a 500 microsecond pulse. This output allows firing through 2000 meters of optical fiber. The detonator can also be ignited with a portable laser diode source through a shorter length of fiber.

A portable hand-held solid state rod laser system and an optically-ignited detonator have been developed for use in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) activities. Laser prototypes from Whittaker Ordnance and Universal Propulsion have been tested and evaluated. The optical detonator contains 2-(5 cyanotetrazolato) pentaamine cobalt III perchlorate (CP) as the DDT column and the explosive Octahydro 1, 3, 5, 7 -- tetranitro -- 1, 3, 5, 7 -- tetrazocine (HMX) as the output charge. The laser is designed to have an output of 150 mJ in a 500 microsecond pulse. This output allows firing through 2000 meters of optical fiber. The detonator can also be ignited with a portable laser diode source through a shorter length of fiber.

Correction of the wavefront is studied for the light beam passing wide-aperture YAG : Nd3+ single-crystal rods, which are used as active elements in high-power solid-state lasers. A nonideal character of the crystal structure is responsible for the deformation of the wavefront of passing radiation. By using the halftone technology we have developed conformal aberration correctors capable of compensating rod nonuniformities and reducing the laser radiation divergence by an order of magnitude. The results obtained make it possible to employ optically nonuniform active elements in laser constructions. (laser optics 2012)

Silica and silica incorporated nanocomposite materials have been extensively studied for a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate an intriguing optical effect of silica that, depending on the solution pH, amplifies or attenuates the optical absorption of a variety of embedded opticallyactive materials with very distinct properties, such as plasmonic Au nanoparticles, non-plasmonic Pt nanoparticles, and the organic dye rhodamine B (not a pH indicator), coated on an optical fiber. Interestingly, the observed optical response to varying pH appears to follow the surface charge density of the silica matrix for all the three different opticallyactive materials. To the best of our knowledge, this optical effect has not been previously reported and it appears universal in that it is likely that any opticallyactive material can be incorporated into the silica matrix to respond to solution pH or surface charge density variations. A direct application of this effect is for optical pH sensing which has very attractive features that can enable minimally invasive, remote, real time and continuous distributed pH monitoring. Particularly, as demonstrated here, using highly stable metal nanoparticles embedded in an inorganic silica matrix can significantly improve the capability of pH sensing in extremely harsh environments which is of increasing importance for applications in unconventional oil and gas resource recovery, carbon sequestration, water quality monitoring, etc. Our approach opens a pathway towards possible future development of robust optical pH sensors for the most demanding environmental conditions. The newly discovered optical effect of silica also offers the potential for control of the optical properties of opticallyactive materials for a range of other potential applications such as electrochromic devices.Silica and silica incorporated nanocomposite materials have been extensively studied for a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate an

A system of sending and receiving gateways interconnects high speed data interfaces, e.g., HIPPI interfaces, through fiber optic links, e.g., a SONET network. An electronic stripe distributor distributes bytes of data from a first interface at the sending gateway onto parallel fiber optics of the fiber optic link to form transmitted data. An electronic stripe collector receives the transmitted data on the parallel fiber optics and reforms the data into a format effective for input to a second interface at the receiving gateway. Preferably, an error correcting syndrome is constructed at the sending gateway and sent with a data frame so that transmission errors can be detected and corrected in a real-time basis. Since the high speed data interface operates faster than any of the fiber optic links the transmission rate must be adapted to match the available number of fiber optic links so the sending and receiving gateways monitor the availability of fiber links and adjust the data throughput accordingly. In another aspect, the receiving gateway must have sufficient available buffer capacity to accept an incoming data frame. A credit-based flow control system provides for continuously updating the sending gateway on the available buffer capacity at the receiving gateway.

As available power levels from both fiber and disc lasers rapidly increase, so does the need for more robust beam delivery solutions. Traditional transmissive optics for 1 micron lasers have proven to be problematic in the presence of higher power densities and are more susceptible to focal shift. A new, fully-reflective, optical solution has been developed using mirrors rather than lenses and windows to achieve the required stable focal spot, while still protecting the delicate fiber end. This patent-approved beam focusing solution, referred to as high power reflective focusing optic (HPRFO), involves specialty mirrors and a flowing gas orifice that prevents ingress of contaminants into the optically sensitive region of the assembly. These mirrors also provide a unique solution for increasing the distance between the sensitive optics and the contamination-filled region at the work, without sacrificing spot size. Longer focal lengths and lower power densities on large mass, water-cooled, copper mirrors deliver the robustness needed at increasingly high power levels. The HPRFO exhibits excellent beam quality and minimal focal shift at a fraction of commercially available optics, and has demonstrated consistent reliability on applications requiring 15 kW with prolonged beam-on times.

Disclosed is a system of sending and receiving gateways interconnects high speed data interfaces, e.g., HIPPI interfaces, through fiber optic links, e.g., a SONET network. An electronic stripe distributor distributes bytes of data from a first interface at the sending gateway onto parallel fiber optics of the fiber optic link to form transmitted data. An electronic stripe collector receives the transmitted data on the parallel fiber optics and reforms the data into a format effective for input to a second interface at the receiving gateway. Preferably, an error correcting syndrome is constructed at the sending gateway and sent with a data frame so that transmission errors can be detected and corrected in a real-time basis. Since the high speed data interface operates faster than any of the fiber optic links the transmission rate must be adapted to match the available number of fiber optic links so the sending and receiving gateways monitor the availability of fiber links and adjust the data throughput accordingly. In another aspect, the receiving gateway must have sufficient available buffer capacity to accept an incoming data frame. A credit-based flow control system provides for continuously updating the sending gateway on the available buffer capacity at the receiving gateway. 7 figs.

We report a novel architecture that can be used to construct optical switch fabrics with very high port count and nanoseconds switching speed. It is well known that optical switch fabrics with very fast switching time and high port count are challenging to realize. Currently, one of the most promising solutions is based on a combination of wavelength-tunable lasers and the arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR). To scale up the number of ports in such switches, a direct method is to use AWGRs with a high channel count. However, such AWGRs introduce very large crosstalk noise due to the close wavelength channel spacing. In this paper, we propose an architecture for realizing a high-port count optical switch fabric using a combination of low-port count AWGRs, optical ON-OFF gates and WDM couplers. Using this new methodology, we constructed a proof-of concept experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of a 256 x 256 optical switch fabric. To our knowledge, this port count is the highest ever reported for switch fabrics of this type. PMID:19550498

We present an optical sensing platform on a smartphone for high-throughput screening immunoassays. For the first time, a designed microprism array is utilized to achieve a one-time screening of 64 samples. To demonstrate the capability and the reliability of this optical sensing platform on smartphone, human interleukin 6 (IL-6) protein and six types of plant viruses are immunoassayed. The ability of quantification is shown by a sigmoidal dose-response curve fitting to analyze IL-6 protein. The accuracy in measuring the concentrations of IL-6 protein achieves 99.1%. On the other hand, to validate on-field immunoassays by our device, a total of 1030 samples are assayed using three immunoassay methods to detect six types of plant viruses. The accuracy is up to 96.2-99.9%; in addition, there is a high degree of agreement with lab instruments. The total cost for this high-throughput optical screening platform is ∼$50 USD. The reading time is only 2 s for 64 samples. The size is just as big as a portable hard drive. Our optical sensing platform on the smartphone offers a route toward in situ high-throughput screening immunoassays for viruses, pathogens, biomarkers, and toxins by decentralizing laboratory tests. With this mobile point-of-care optical platform, the spread of disease can be timely stopped within a very short turnaround time. PMID:27434250

We report on an immersion hybrid optics specially designed for focusing ultrashort laser pulses into a polymer for direct laser writing via two-photon polymerization. The hybrid optics allows for well-corrected focusing over a large working distance range of 577 μm with a numerical aperture (NA) of 1.33 and low internal dispersion. We combine the concepts of an aplanatic solid immersion lens (ASIL) for achieving a high NA with a diffractive optical element (DOE) for correction of aberrations. To demonstrate the improvements for volume structuring of the polymer, we compare the achievable structure sizes of our optics with a commercially available oil-immersion objective (100x, NA=1.4). PMID:22453471

A wideband fiber-optic video distribution system with a bandwidth exceeding 20 MHz has been developed for the NASA Space Station Freedom. The system uses FM modulation and light emitting diodes in combination with lightweight and rugged fiber-optic cables and digital switching elements to provide lightweight, reliable, high-performance video signal distribution over the full extent of the Space Station. The author addresses the Space Station requirements, including environmental constraints, which led to the selected system architecture and choice of components. The design of the modulators and demodulators, optical transmitters and receivers, fiber-optic cable, and the video switches is discussed. Also presented is a description of how the technology can be applied to those military needs which would benefit from the performance, reliability, and EMI/TEMPEST features of the system.

Coupling light into a vacuum system is a non-trivial problem, requiring the use of a specialized feed-through. This feed-through must be both leak tight and offer a low optical loss if it is to be suitable for general use. In this paper, we report on the development of an extremely simple yet versatile, low cost, demountable optical fiber vacuum feed-through based on the modification of a standard optical fiber bulkhead connector. The modified connector was found to have a leak rate of 6.6 ± 2.1 × 10-6 mbar l/s and an optical loss of -0.41 ± 0.28 dB, making it suitable for use in high vacuum applications.

Retinal imaging with conventional methods is only able to overcome the lowest order of aberration, defocus and astigmatism. The human eye is fraught with higher order of aberrations. Since we are forced to use the human optical system in retinal imaging, the images are degraded. In addition, all of these distortions are constantly changing due to head/eye movement and change in accommodation. Adaptive optics is a promising technology introduced in the field of ophthalmology to measure and compensate for these aberrations. High-resolution obtained by adaptive optics enables us to view and image the retinal photoreceptors, retina pigment epithelium, and identification of cone subclasses in vivo. In this review we will be discussing the basic technology of adaptive optics and hardware requirement in addition to clinical applications of such technology. PMID:21090998

In order to mitigate the signal spectrum narrowing caused by optical filtering at nodes, an adequate guard band is needed between optical channels, which degrades the frequency utilization of optical fibers. In this study, we propose a grouped routing based network architecture that minimizes spectrum narrowing while greatly improving spectral efficiency. Coarse granular routing at GRE (grouped routing entity) level is employed at each ROADM node, but fine granular add/drop is adopted to retain high frequency utilization. Optical channels are packed densely in each GRE, and sufficient guard bands are inserted between GREs. As a result, signal spectrum narrowing is minimized and efficient spectrum utilization is achieved. Network design/control algorithms that support both static and dynamic traffic growth are developed. Extensive simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture. To implement the scheme, current LCOS-based ROADMs are applied without any hardware changes; only the control schema are modified. PMID:27136815

We demonstrate the design, fabrication, characterization, and operation of high-density arrays of Au nanorod electron emitters, fabricated by high-resolution electron beam lithography, and excited by ultrafast femtosecond near-infrared radiation. Electron emission characteristic of multiphoton absorption has been observed at low laser fluence, as indicated by the power-law scaling of emission current with applied optical power. The onset of space-charge-limited current and strong optical field emission has been investigated so as to determine the mechanism of electron emission at high incident laser fluence. Laser-induced structural damage has been observed at applied optical fields above 5 GV m-1, and energy spectra of emitted electrons have been measured using an electron time-of-flight spectrometer.

We demonstrate the design, fabrication, characterization, and operation of high-density arrays of Au nanorod electron emitters, fabricated by high-resolution electron beam lithography, and excited by ultrafast femtosecond near-infrared radiation. Electron emission characteristic of multiphoton absorption has been observed at low laser fluence, as indicated by the power-law scaling of emission current with applied optical power. The onset of space-charge-limited current and strong optical field emission has been investigated so as to determine the mechanism of electron emission at high incident laser fluence. Laser-induced structural damage has been observed at applied optical fields above 5 GV m(-1), and energy spectra of emitted electrons have been measured using an electron time-of-flight spectrometer. PMID:25354583

Against the backdrop of a growing demand in the areas of smart buildings, security, vehicle installation, and other applications, the market for far infrared cameras is expected to grow significantly in the future. However, since germanium (Ge) and chalcogenide glass, which have been used as the lens materials of far infrared cameras, are very expensive or highly toxic, there are some problems supporting the growing demand. We have therefore focused attention on silicon, which is inexpensive and less toxic. Although silicon has been used as a lens material of far infrared cameras, there are some problems remaining to be solved: Cz silicon is inexpensive but delivers low transmittance, and Fz silicon delivers sufficient transmittance but is expensive. We have developed New Cz silicon, which delivers high transmittance as Fz silicon does, and is inexpensive as conventional Cz silicon is. We have already started its sample work at both companies in Japan and overseas and have obtained excellent performance results. Mass production is scheduled to start in this fiscal year.

The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) requires active control of quasi-static telescope aberrations in order to achieve the image quality set by its science requirements. Four active mirrors will be used to compensate for optical misalignments induced by changing gravitational forces and thermal gradients. These misalignments manifest themselves primarily as low-order wavefront aberrations that will be measured by a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. When operating in closed-loop with the wavefront sensor, the activeoptics control algorithm uses a linear least-squares reconstructor incorporating force constraints to limit force applied to the primary mirror while also incorporating a neutral-point constraint on the secondary mirror to limit pointing errors. The resulting system compensates for astigmatism and defocus with rigid-body motion of the secondary mirror and higher-order aberrations with primary mirror bending modes. We demonstrate this reconstruction method and present simulation results that apply the activeoptics correction to aberrations generated by finite-element modeling of thermal and gravitational effects over a typical day of ATST operation. Quasi-static wavefront errors are corrected to within limits set by wavefront sensor noise in all cases with very little force applied to the primary mirror surface and minimal pointing correction needed.

Patients with optic ataxia after lesions of the occipito-parietal cortex demonstrate gross deviations of movements to visual targets in their peripheral visual field. When the same patients point to remembered target locations their accuracy improves considerably. Taking into account opposite findings in a single patient suffering from visual form agnosia due to bilateral occipito-temporal lesions (D.F.), this paradoxical improvement was attributed to brain structures outside the dorsal stream, and supposed to be specifically associated with delayed movement execution. This conclusion was based on the still unverified assumption that the dorsal system is almost completely lacking any localization function in patients with optic ataxia who demonstrate the paradoxical delay effect. We thus investigated brain activity associated with immediately executed and delayed movements in a patient with optic ataxia due to extensive bilateral lesions (I.G.) and in 16 healthy subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Our analysis revealed robust and indistinguishable activation of intact dorsal occipital and parietal areas adjacent to the patient's lesions for both types of movements. In healthy subjects, we found the same visuomotor network activated during immediate and delayed movements as well as additionally higher signal increases for movements to visible targets than for delayed movements in bilateral occipito-parietal and occipito-temporal areas. Our results suggest that in healthy subjects as well as in the optic ataxia patient I.G. dorsal areas are not only involved in immediate but also in delayed reaching. This observation questions the hypothesis that residual visuospatial abilities in patients with optic ataxia could only be mediated by a system outside of the dorsal stream. PMID:19428407

High-power and high-energy laser systems have firmly established their industrial presence with applications that span materials processing; high - precision and high - throughput manufacturing; semiconductors, and defense. Along with high average power CO2 lasers operating at wavelengths of ~ 10 microns, solid state lasers and fiber lasers operating at ~ 1 micron wavelength are now increasingly being used, both in the high average power and high energy pulse regimes. In recent years, polycrystalline diamond has become the material of choice when it comes to making optical components for multi-kilowatt CO2 lasers at 10 micron, outperforming ZnSe due to its superior thermo-mechanical characteristics. For 1 micron laser systems, fused silica has to date been the most popular optical material owing to its outstanding optical properties. This paper characterizes high - power / high - energy performance of anti-reflection coated optical windows made of different grades of diamond (single crystal, polycrystalline) and of fused silica. Thermo-optical modeling results are also presented for water cooled mounted optical windows. Laser - induced damage threshold tests are performed and analyzed. It is concluded that diamond is a superior optical material for working with extremely high-power and high-energy laser beams at 1 micron wavelength.

In the early development of social cognition and language, infants tend to participate in face-to-face interactions engaging in joint attention exchanges. Joint attention is vital to social competence at all ages, lacking which is a primary feature to distinguish autistic from non-autistic population. In this study, diffuse optical imaging is used for the first time to investigate the joint attention experience in normal adults. Imaging studies were performed in the frontal regions of the brain (BA9 and BA10) in order to study the differences in the brain activation in response to video clips corresponding to joint attention based skills. The frontal regions of the brain were non-invasively imaged using a novel optical cap coupled to a frequency-domain optical imaging system. The statistical analysis from 11 normal adult subjects, with three repetitions from each subject, indicated that the averaged changes in the cerebral blood oxygenation levels were different under the joint and non-joint attention based stimulus. The preliminary studies demonstrate the feasibility of implementing diffuse optical imaging towards autism-related research to study the brain activation in response to socio-communication skills. PMID:19447278

The development of a new EUV high NA small-field exposure tool has been proposed for obtaining mask defect printability data in a timeframe several years before beta-tools are available. The imaging system for this new Micro-Exposure Tool (MET), would have a numerical aperture (NA) of about 0.3, similar to the NA for a beta-tool, but substantially larger than the 0.10 NA for the Engineering Test Stand (ETS) and 0.088 NA for the existing 10x Microstepper. This memorandum discusses the development and summarizes the performance of the camera for the MET and includes a listing of the design prescription, detailed analysis of the distortion, and analysis demonstrating the capability to resolution 30 nm features under the conditions of partially coherent illumination.

We investigate the whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of self-assembled single microspheres. They consist of a recently developed highly fluorescent π-conjugated copolymer and exhibit excellent optical properties with Q-factors up to 104. Under continuous laser irradiation, we observe a splitting of the highly degenerate spherical WGMs into a multiplet of lines. Comparison with the calculated spectral response of a weakly distorted sphere shows that the optical excitation induces a change of the optical path length in the microcavity so that it resembles a prolate spheroid. The separation of the lines is given by the ellipticity and the azimuthal mode number. Measurements in various gaseous environments suggest that the distortion is caused by light induced oxidation of the polymer. Our findings show that photooxidation can be a beneficial mechanism for in-situ tuning of opticallyactive polymer structures. PMID:26781838

An electro-optic spectral shearing interferometer for high-sensitivity optical pulse characterization is described. Two replicas of the test pulse counterpropagate in a Sagnac interferometer with orthogonal polarization states, resulting in two relatively sheared copolarized replicas after temporal phase modulation. The polarization interferometer is intrinsically stable, and its birefringence sets the delay between interfering replicas to reduce the spectrometer resolution requirement. Experimental implementations demonstrate real-time pulse characterization at average powers as low as 1 nWwith spectral shears as high as 280 GHz.

A planar transparent light conducting means and an improved opticallyactivated electrical switch made using the novel light conducting means are disclosed. The light conducting means further comprise light scattering means on one or more opposite planar surfaces thereof to transmit light from the light conducting means into adjacent media and reflective means on other surfaces of the light conducting means not containing the light scattering means. The opticallyactivated electrical switch comprises at least two stacked photoconductive wafers, each having electrodes formed on both surfaces thereof, and separated by the planar transparent light conducting means. The light scattering means on the light conducting means face surfaces of the wafers not covered by the electrodes to transmit light from the light conducting means into the photoconductive wafers to uniformly illuminate and activate the switch. 11 figures.

A planar transparent light conducting means and an improved opticallyactivated electrical switch made using the novel light conducting means are disclosed. The light conducting means further comprise light scattering means on one or more opposite planar surfaces thereof to transmit light from the light conducting means into adjacent media and reflective means on other surfaces of the light conducting means not containing the light scattering means. The opticallyactivated electrical switch comprises at least two stacked photoconductive wafers, each having electrodes formed on both surfaces thereof, and separated by the planar transparent light conducting means. The light scattering means on the light conducting means face surfaces of the wafers not covered by the electrodes to transmit light from the light conducting means into the photoconductive wafers to uniformly illuminate and activate the switch.

Radiation generated by high-energy particle beams is widely used to characterize the beam properties. While the wavelengths of radiation may vary from visible to x-rays, the physics underlying the engineering designs are similar. In this tutorial, we discuss the basic considerations for the optical system design in the context of beam instrumentation and the constraints applied by high-radiation environments. We cover commonly used optical diagnostics: fluorescence flags, visible and x-ray synchrotron radiation imaging. Emphases will be on achieving desired resolution, accuracy, and reproducibility.

From 1 Apr. 1991 to 31 Aug. 1992, the Georgia Tech Research Institute conducted a research program to develop a high temperature fiber optic strain sensor as part of a measurement program for the space shuttle booster rocket motor. The major objectives of this program were divided into four tasks. Under Task 1, the literature on high-temperature fiber optic strain sensors was reviewed. Task 2 addressed the design and fabrication of the strain sensor. Tests and calibration were conducted under Task 3, and Task 4 was to generate recommendations for a follow-on study of a distributed strain sensor. Task 4 was submitted to NASA as a separate proposal.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high resolution, minimally invasive imaging technique, which can produce depth-resolved cross-sectional images. In this study, OCT was used to detect changes in the optical properties of cortical tissue in vivo in mice during the induction of global (pentylenetetrazol) and focal (4-aminopyridine) seizures. Through the use of a confidence interval statistical method on depth-resolved volumes of attenuation coefficient, we demonstrated localization of regions exhibiting both significant positive and negative changes in attenuation coefficient, as well as differentiating between global and focal seizure propagation. PMID:26137382

For the quantitative measurement in an optically dense spray, the intensity of the attenuated signal should be corrected. Therefore, the optical line patternator was applied to get the original distribution of the dense spray injected from a swirl injector at high ambient pressure up to 4.0 MPa. The optical line patternator is a combined technique of laser extinction measurement and image processing for the spray characterization. The spray was scanned with the laser beam and the line image of Mie scattering was captured simultaneously in the path of each laser beam by using a CCD camera. A photo-diode was used to obtain the transmission data that was the amount of the incident laser beam passing through the spray region. The distribution of the attenuation coefficients in the spray was obtained by processing the transmission data and Mie-scattering distribution data by an algebraic reconstruction technique. From the distribution of attenuation coefficients, we can obtain the accurate surface distribution from the Mie-scattering signal. Because the optical line patternator uses a laser beam instead of a laser sheet to scan the spray, the effect of multiple scattering, due to the increased number density of droplets in a high pressure environment is reduced significantly. The optical line patternator is suitable for investigating the characteristics of a relatively large spray under high pressure environments such as liquid rocket engines.

Many defense systems have a critical need for high-precision, complex optics. However, fabrication of high quality, advanced optics is often seriously hampered by the lack of accurate and affordable metrology. QED's Subaperture Stitching Interferometer (SSI®) provides a breakthrough technology, enabling the automatic capture of precise metrology data for large and/or strongly curved (concave and convex) parts. QED"s SSI complements next-generation finishing technologies, such as Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF®), by extending the effective aperture, accuracy and dynamic range of a phase-shifting interferometer. This workstation performs automated sub-aperture stitching measurements of spheres, flats, and mild aspheres. It combines a six-axis precision stage system, a commercial Fizeau interferometer, and specially developed software that automates measurement design, data acquisition, and the reconstruction of the full-aperture figure error map. Aside from the correction of sub-aperture placement errors (such as tilts, optical power, and registration effects), our software also accounts for reference-wave error, distortion and other aberrations in the interferometer"s imaging optics. The SSI can automatically measure the full aperture of high numerical aperture surfaces (such as domes) to interferometric accuracy. The SSI extends the usability of a phase measuring interferometer and allows users with minimal training to produce full-aperture measurements of otherwise untestable parts. Work continues to extend this technology to measure aspheric shapes without the use of dedicated null optics. This SSI technology will be described, sample measurement results shown, and various manufacturing applications discussed.

Optical micromanipulation stands for contact-free handling of microscopic particles by light. Optical forces can manipulate non-absorbing objects in a large range of sizes, e.g., from biological cells down to cold atoms. Recently much progress has been made going from the micro- down to the nanoscale. Less attention has been paid to going the other way, trapping increasingly large particles. Optical tweezers typically employ a single laser beam tightly focused by a microscope objective of high numerical aperture to stably trap a particle in three dimensions (3D). As the particle size increases, stable 3D trapping in a single-beam trap requires scaling up the optical power, which eventually induces adverse biological effects. Moreover, the restricted field of view of standard optical tweezers, dictated by the use of high NA objectives, is particularly unfavorable for catching actively moving specimens. Both problems can be overcome by traps with counter-propagating beams. Our 'macro-tweezers' are especially designed to trap highly motile organisms, as they enable three-dimensional all-optical trapping and guiding in a volume of 2 × 1 × 2 mm3. Here we report for the first time the optical trapping of large actively swimming organisms, such as for instance Euglena protists and dinoflagellates of up to 70 µm length. Adverse bio-effects are kept low since trapping occurs outside high intensity regions, e.g., focal spots. We expect our approach to open various possibilities in the contact-free handling of 50-100 µm sized objects that could hitherto not be envisaged, for instance all-optical holding of individual micro-organisms for taxonomic identification, selective collecting or tagging.

Activeoptics has attracted considerable interest from researchers in synchrotron radiation facilities because of its capacity for x-ray wavefront correction. Here, we report a novel and efficient technique for correcting or modulating a mirror surface profile based on laser-heating-induced thermal expansion. An experimental study of the characteristics of the surface thermal deformation response indicates that the power of a milliwatt laser yields a bump height as low as the subnanometer scale and that the variation of the spot size modulates the response function width effectively. In addition, the capacity of the laser-heating technique for free-form surface modulation is demonstrated via a one-dimensional surface correction experiment. The developed method is a promising new approach toward effective x-ray activeoptics coupled with at-wavelength metrology techniques. PMID:27304296

Magnetic Raman opticalactivity of gases provides unique information about their electric and magnetic properties. Magnetic Raman opticalactivity has recently been observed in a paramagnetic gas (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 11058; Angew. Chem. 2012, 124, 11220). In diamagnetic molecules, it has been considered too weak to be measurable. However, in chlorine, bromine and iodine vapors, we could detect a significant signal as well. Zeeman splitting of electronic ground-state energy levels cannot rationalize the observed circular intensity difference (CID) values of about 10(-4) . These are explicable by participation of paramagnetic excited electronic states. Then a simple model including one electronic excited state provides reasonable spectral intensities. The results suggest that this kind of scattering by diamagnetic molecules is a general event observable under resonance conditions. The phenomenon sheds new light on the role of excited states in the Raman scattering, and may be used to probe molecular geometry and electronic structure. PMID:26845382

An update will be given of activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory aimed at developing optical model potentials for applied calculations. Recent work on a coupled-channels potential for neutron reactions on {sup 241,243}Am and spherical neutron potential updates for {sup 56}Fe and {sup 59}Co will be presented, together with examples of their application in nuclear reaction calculations with the GNASH code system. New potentials utilized in evaluations at Livermore for {sup 12}C, {sup 14}N and {sup 16}O are described and additional potentials from earlier analyses at Los Alamos of Ti, V, and Ni data are made available for possible inclusion in the Reference Input Parameter Library (RIPL) for nuclear model calculations of nuclear data. Specific activities directed at development of the optical potential segment of the RIPL will be summarized.

This paper describes the activeoptics system of the VLT Survey Telescope, the 2.6-m survey telescope designed for visible wavelengths of the European Southern Observatory at Cerro Paranal, in the Atacama desert. The telescope is characterized by a wide field of view (1.42 deg diameter), leading to tighter activeoptics than in conventional telescopes, in particular for the alignment requirements. We discuss the effects of typical error sources on the image quality and present the specific solutions adopted for wavefront sensing and correction of the aberrations, which are based on the shaping of a monolithic primary mirror and the positioning of the secondary in five degrees of freedom. PMID:26974616

Silica and silica incorporated nanocomposite materials have been extensively studied for a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate an intriguing optical effect of silica that, depending on the solution pH, amplifies or attenuates the optical absorption of a variety of embedded opticallyactive materials with very distinct properties, such as plasmonic Au nanoparticles, non-plasmonic Pt nanoparticles, and the organic dye rhodamine B (not a pH indicator), coated on an optical fiber. Interestingly, the observed optical response to varying pH appears to follow the surface charge density of the silica matrix for all the three different opticallyactive materials. To the best of our knowledge, this optical effect has not been previously reported and it appears universal in that it is likely that any opticallyactive material can be incorporated into the silica matrix to respond to solution pH or surface charge density variations. A direct application of this effect is for optical pH sensing which has very attractive features that can enable minimally invasive, remote, real time and continuous distributed pH monitoring. Particularly, as demonstrated here, using highly stable metal nanoparticles embedded in an inorganic silica matrix can significantly improve the capability of pH sensing in extremely harsh environments which is of increasing importance for applications in unconventional oil and gas resource recovery, carbon sequestration, water quality monitoring, etc. Our approach opens a pathway towards possible future development of robust optical pH sensors for the most demanding environmental conditions. The newly discovered optical effect of silica also offers the potential for control of the optical properties of opticallyactive materials for a range of other potential applications such as electrochromic devices. PMID:25572664

A DC magnetron sputtering system has been used to actively coat optical fibers with hermetic metal coatings during the fiber draw process. Thin films of Inconel 625 have been deposited on optical fibers and annealed in air at 2000 F. Scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron microscopy have been used to investigate the morphology and composition of the films prior to and following thermal cycling. Issues to be addressed include film adhesion, other coating materials, and a discussion of additional applications for this novel technology.

Direct diode laser systems gain importance in the fields of material processing and solid-state laser pumping. With increased output power, also the influence of strong optical feedback has to be considered. Uncontrolled optical feedback is known for its spectral and power fluctuation effects, as well as potential emitter damage. We found that even intended feedback by use of volume Bragg gratings (VBG) for spectral stabilization may result in emitter lifetime reduction. To provide stable and reliable laser systems design, guidelines and maximum feedback ratings have to be found. We present a model to estimate the optical feedback power coupled back into the laser diode waveguide. It includes several origins of optical feedback and wide range of optical elements. The failure thresholds of InGaAs and AlGaAs bars have been determined not only at standard operation mode but at various working points. The influence of several feedback levels to laser diode lifetime is investigated up to 4000h. The analysis of the semiconductor itself leads to a better understanding of the degradation process by defect spread. Facet microscopy, LBIC- and electroluminescence measurements deliver detailed information about semiconductor defects before and after aging tests. Laser diode protection systems can monitor optical feedback. With this improved understanding, the emergency shutdown threshold can be set low enough to ensure laser diode reliability but also high enough to provide better machine usability avoiding false alarms.

This is a final report covering work done at University of Maryland to develop a Ballistic Electron Emission Luminescence (BEEL) microscope. This technique was intended to examine the carrier transport and photon emission in deeply buried optically-active layers and thereby provide a means for materials science to unmask the detailed consequences of experimentally controllable growth parameters, such as quantum dot size, statistics and orientation, and defect density and charge recombination pathways.

Opticalactivity using an iPad as a source of polarized light is demonstrated. A sample crystal or solution can be placed on the iPad running a white screen app. The sample is viewed through a polarized filter that can be rotated. This setup can be used in the laboratory or with a document camera to easily project in a large lecture hall.…

Cationic Pd(II) monophosphine complexes derived from α- and β-cyclodextrins (CDs) promote the homopolymerization of styrene under carbon monoxide pressure. Although reversible CO coordination takes place under catalytic conditions according to (13) C NMR studies with (13) C-enriched CO, both complexes catalyze the formation of CO-free styrene polymers. These macromolecules display opticalactivity as a result of the presence of stereoregular sequences within the overall atactic polymer. PMID:27218801

In the design of high-temperature chemical reactors and furnaces, as well as high-radiance light projection applications, reconstituting the ultra-high radiance of short-arc discharge lamps at maximum radiative efficiency constitutes a significant challenge. The difficulty is exacerbated by the high numerical aperture necessary at both the source and the target. Separating the optic from both the light source and the target allows practical operation, control, monitoring, diagnostics and maintenance. We present near-field unfolded aplanatic optics as a feasible solution. The concept is illustrated with a design customized to a high-temperature chemical reactor for nano-material synthesis, driven by an ultra-bright xenon short-arc discharge lamp, with near-unity numerical aperture for both light input and light output. We report preliminary optical measurements for the first prototype, which constitutes a double-ellipsoid solution. We also propose compound unfolded aplanats that collect the full angular extent of lamp emission (in lieu of light recycling optics) and additionally permit nearly full-circumference irradiation of the reactor.

A digital, fiber optic temperature sensor using a variable Fabry-Perot cavity as the sensor element was analyzed, designed, fabricated, and tested. The fiber transmitted cavity reflection spectra is dispersed then converted from an optical signal to electrical information by a charged coupled device (CCD). A microprocessor-based color demodulation system converts the wavelength information to temperature. This general sensor concept not only utilizes an all-optical means of parameter sensing and transmitting, but also exploits microprocessor technology for automated control, calibration, and enhanced performance. The complete temperature sensor system was evaluated in the laboratory. Results show that the Fabry-Perot temperature sensor has good resolution (0.5% of full seale), high accuracy, and potential high temperature ( 1000 C) applications.

A low power and high data rate wireless optical link for implantable data transmission is presented in this paper. In some neural prosthetic applications particularly in regard to neural recording system, there is a demand for high speed communication between an implanted device and an external device. An optical transcutaneous link is a promising implantable telemetry solution, since it shows lower power requirements than RF telemetry. In this paper, this advantage is further enhanced by using a modified on-off keying and a simple custom designed low power VCSEL driver. This transmitter achieves an optical transcutaneous link capable of transmitting data at 50 Mbps through the 4 mm tissue, with a tolerance of 2 mm misalignment and a BER of less than 10(-5), while the power consumption is only 4.1 mW or less. PMID:23366690

A recent series of experiments at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics OMEGA facility studied the feasibility of using radiation-to-light converters and high bandwidth optical signal transmission to remote recording devices as an alternate nuclear diagnostic method. A prototype system included a radiation-to-light converter, a multiple-section light pipe consisting of stainless steel tubes with polished interiors and turning mirrors, and a streak camera or photomultiplier/digitizer combination for signal recording. Several different radiation-to-light converters (scintillators, glasses, plastics, and pressurized CO{sub 2}) performed well and produced predictable optical emissions. The lightpipe transmitted high-bandwidth optical signals to the recording stations. Data were recorded with the streak camera, the photomultiplier/digitizer, and with both recorders simultaneously.

A workshop on High Heat Load X-Ray Optics'' was held at Argonne National Laboratory on August 3--5, 1989. The object of this workshop was to discuss recent advances in the art of cooling x-ray optics subject to high heat loads from synchrotron beams. The cooling of the first optical element in the intense photon beams that will be produced in the next generation of synchrotron sources is recognized as one of the major challenges that must be faced before one will be able to use these very intense beams in future synchrotron experiments. Considerable advances have been made in this art during the last few years, but much work remains to be done before the heating problem can be said to be completely solved. Special emphasis was placed on recent cooling experiments and detailed finite element'' and finite difference'' calculations comparing experiment with theory and extending theory to optimize performance.

The structural preference of [7]circulene is analyzed by taking into account vibronic interactions. DFT calculations reveal that pseudo-Jahn-Teller effects cause the D7h-symmetry structure to relax to C2- and Cs-symmetry structures, which are both ca. 9 kcal/mol lower in energy than the D7h structure. In energy terms, the C2-symmetry structure is 0.05 kcal/mol lower than that of the Cs-symmetry. The active vibrations are attributed to low-frequency puckering modes that are coupled with π-σ excitation states. The opticalactivities of the C2-symmetry structure were simulated by configuration interaction calculations, and the simulated CD/ORD spectra were reasonable and consistent with the experimental data. The optical rotatory strengths obeyed the helix rule; that is, the left-handed helix shows negative Cotton effects through the antisymmetric excited states. The calculated spectra will serve as a foundation for further investigation of opticalactivities of negatively curved structures. PMID:26829071

Activeoptical systems are complex systems that may be expected to operate in hostile environments such as space. The ability of such a system either to tolerate failures of components or to reconfigure to accommodate failed components could significantly increase the useful lifetime of the system. Activeoptical systems often contain hundreds of actuators and sensor channels but have an inherent redundancy, i.e., more actuators or sensor channels than the minimum needed to achieve the required performance. A failure detection and isolation system can be used to find and accommodate failures. One type of failure is the failure of an actuator. The effect of actuator failure on the ability of a deformable mirror to correct aberrations is analyzed using a finite-element model of the deformable mirror, and a general analytical procedure for determining the effect of actuator failures on system performance is given. The application of model-based failure detection, isolation and identification algorithms to activeoptical systems is outlined.

High frequency ultrasound (HFUS) has increasingly been used within the past few decades to provide high resolution (< 200 mum) imaging in medical applications such as endoluminal imaging, intravascular imaging, ophthalmology, and dermatology. The optical detection and generation of HFUS using thin films offers numerous advantages over traditional piezoelectric technology. Circumvention of an electronic interface with the device head is one of the most significant given the RF noise, crosstalk, and reduced capacitance that encumbers small-scale electronic transducers. Thin film Fabry-Perot interferometers - also known as etalons - are well suited for HFUS receivers on account of their high sensitivity, wide bandwidth, and ease of fabrication. In addition, thin films can be used to generate HFUS when irradiated with optical pulses - a method referred to as Thermoelastic Ultrasound Generation (TUG). By integrating a polyimide (PI) film for TUG into an etalon receiver, we have created for the first time an all-optical ultrasound transducer that is both thermally stable and capable of forming fully sampled 2-D imaging arrays of arbitrary configuration. Here we report (1) the design and fabrication of PI-etalon transducers; (2) an evaluation of their optical and acoustic performance parameters; (3) the ability to conduct high-resolution imaging with synthetic 2-D arrays of PI-etalon elements; and (4) work towards a fiber optic PI-etalon for in vivo use. Successful development of a fiber optic imager would provide a unique field-of-view thereby exposing an abundance of prospects for minimally-invasive analysis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.

This invention relates generally to slits used in optics that must be precisely aligned and adjusted. The optical slits of the present invention are useful in x-ray optics, x-ray beam lines, optical systems in which the entrance slit is critical for high wavelength resolution. The invention is particularly useful in ultra high vacuum systems where lubricants are difficult to use and designs which avoid the movement of metal parts against one another are important, such as monochromators for high wavelength resolution with ultra high vacuum systems. The invention further relates to optical systems in which temperature characteristics of the slit materials is important. The present invention yet additionally relates to precision slits wherein the opposing edges of the slit must be precisely moved relative to a center line between the edges with each edge retaining its parallel orientation with respect to the other edge and/or the center line. 21 figures.

This invention relates generally to slits used in optics that must be precisely aligned and adjusted. The optical slits of the present invention are useful in x-ray optics, x-ray beam lines, optical systems in which the entrance slit is critical for high wavelength resolution. The invention is particularly useful in ultra high vacuum systems where lubricants are difficult to use and designs which avoid the movement of metal parts against one another are important, such as monochrometers for high wavelength resolution with ultra high vacuum systems. The invention further relates to optical systems in which temperature characteristics of the slit materials is important. The present invention yet additionally relates to precision slits wherein the opposing edges of the slit must be precisely moved relative to a center line between the edges with each edge retaining its parallel orientation with respect to the other edge and/or the center line.

Fiber optics has become the preferred technology in communication systems because of what it has to offer: high data transmission rates, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and lightweight, flexible cables. An optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) provides a convenient method of locating and diagnosing faults (e.g. break in a fiber) along a fiber that can obstruct crucial optical pathways. Both the ability to resolve the precise location of the fault and distinguish between two discrete, closely spaced faults are figures of merit. This thesis presents an implementation of a high resolution OTDR through the use of a compact and programmable ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). The integration of many essential OTDR functions on a single chip is advantageous over existing commercial instruments because it enables small, lightweight packaging, and offers low power and cost efficiency. Furthermore, its compactness presents the option of placing multiple ASICs in parallel, which can conceivably ease the characterization of densely populated fiber optic networks. The OTDR ASIC consists of a tunable clock, pattern generator, precise timer, electrical receiver, and signal sampling circuit. During OTDR operation, the chip generates narrow electrical pulse, which can then be converted to optical format when coupled with an external laser diode driver. The ASIC also works with an external photodetector to measure the timing and amplitude of optical reflections in a fiber. It has a 1 cm sampling resolution, which allows for a 2 cm spatial resolution. While this OTDR ASIC has been previously demonstrated for multimode fiber fault diagnostics, this thesis focuses on extending its functionality to single mode fiber. To validate this novel approach to OTDR, this thesis is divided into five chapters: (1) introduction, (2) implementation, (3), performance of ASIC-based OTDR, (4) exploration in optical pre-amplification with a semiconductor optical amplifier, and

Fiber optic delivery systems promise to extend the application of holography to severe environments by simplifying test configurations and permitting the laser to be remotely placed in a more benign location. However, the introduction of optical fiber leads to phase stability problems. Environmental effects cause the pathlengths of the fibers to change randomly, preventing the formation of stationary interference patterns which are required for holography. An active phase control system has been designed and used with an all-fiber optical system to stabilize the phase difference between light emitted from two fibers, and to step the phase difference by 90 deg without applying any constraints on the placement of the fibers. The accuracy of the phase steps is shown to be better than 0.02 deg., and a stable phase difference can be maintained for 30 min. This system can be applied to both conventional and electro-optic holography, as well as to any system where the maintenance of an accurate phase difference between two coherent beams is required.

Fiber optic delivery systems promise to extend the application of holography to severe environments by simplifying test configurations and permitting the laser to be remotely placed in a more benign location. However, the introduction of optical fiber leads to phase stability problems. Environmental effects cause the pathlengths of the fibers to change randomly, preventing the formation of stationary interference patterns which are required for holography. An active phase control system has been designed and used with an all-fiber optical system to stabilize the phase difference between light emitted from two fibers, and to step the phase difference by 90 deg without applying any constraints on the placement of the fibers. The accuracy of the phase steps is shown to be better than 0.02 deg., and a stable phase difference can be maintained for 30 min. This system can be applied to both conventional and electro-optic holography, as well as to any system where the maintenance of an accurate phase difference between two coherent beams is required.

A process for preparation of silicon-32 is provided and includes contacting an irradiated potassium chloride target, including spallation products from a prior irradiation, with sufficient water, hydrochloric acid or potassium hydroxide to form a solution, filtering the solution, adjusting pH of the solution from about 5.5 to about 7.5, admixing sufficient molybdate-reagent to the solution to adjust the pH of the solution to about 1.5 and to form a silicon-molybdate complex, contacting the solution including the silicon-molybdate complex with a dextran-based material, washing the dextran-based material to remove residual contaminants such as sodium-22, separating the silicon-molybdate complex from the dextran-based material as another solution, adding sufficient hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the solution to prevent reformation of the silicon-molybdate complex and to yield an oxidation state of the molybdate adapted for subsequent separation by an anion exchange material, contacting the solution with an anion exchange material whereby the molybdate is retained by the anion exchange material and the silicon remains in solution, and optionally adding sufficient alkali metal hydroxide to adjust the pH of the solution to about 12 to 13. Additionally, a high specific activity silicon-32 product having a high purity is provided.

A process for preparation of silicon-32 is provided and includes contacting an irradiated potassium chloride target, including spallation products from a prior irradiation, with sufficient water, hydrochloric acid or potassium hydroxide to form a solution, filtering the solution, adjusting pH of the solution to from about 5.5 to about 7.5, admixing sufficient molybdate-reagent to the solution to adjust the pH of the solution to about 1.5 and to form a silicon-molybdate complex, contacting the solution including the silicon-molybdate complex with a dextran-based material, washing the dextran-based material to remove residual contaminants such as sodium-22, separating the silicon-molybdate complex from the dextran-based material as another solution, adding sufficient hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the solution to prevent reformation of the silicon-molybdate complex and to yield an oxidization state of the molybdate adapted for subsequent separation by an anion exchange material, contacting the solution with an anion exchange material whereby the molybdate is retained by the anion exchange material and the silicon remains in solution, and optionally adding sufficient alkali metal hydroxide to adjust the pH of the solution to about 12 to 13. Additionally, a high specific activity silicon-32 product having a high purity is provided.

We experimentally demonstrate the high-sensitivity optical monitoring of a micromechanical resonator and its cooling by active control. Coating a low-loss mirror upon the resonator, we have built an optomechanical sensor based on a very high-finesse cavity (30 000). We have measured the thermal noise of the resonator with a quantum-limited sensitivity at the 10(-19) m/sqrt[Hz] level, and cooled the resonator down to 5 K by a cold-damping technique. Applications of our setup range from quantum optics experiments to the experimental demonstration of the quantum ground state of a macroscopic mechanical resonator. PMID:17026032

With the developments of science of art, there are more and more demands on the high resolution control of position of object to be controlled, such as lathe, product line, elements in the optical resonant cavity, telescope, and so on. As one device with high resolution, the optical scale has more and more utility within the industrial and civil applications. With one optical scale and small DC servo motor, one closed loop high resolution position control system is constructed. This apparatus is used to control the position of the elements of optical system. The optical scale is attached on the object or reference guide way. The object position is sampled by a readhead of non-contact optical encoder. Control system processes the position information and control the position of object through the motion control of servo DC motor. The DC motor is controlled by one controller which is connected to an industrial computer. And the micro frictionless slide table does support the smooth motion of object to be controlled. The control algorithm of system is PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) methods. The PID control methods have well ROBUST. The needed data to control are position, velocity and acceleration of the object. These three parameters correspond to the PID characters respectively. After the accomplishments of hardware, GUI (Graphical user interface), that is, the software of control system is also programmed. The whole system is assembled by specialized worker. Through calibration experiments, the coefficients of PID are obtained respectively. And then the precision of position control of the system is about 0.1μm.

A positronium-formation experiment with a high sensitivity to a possible relation between the helicity of beta particles emitted in nuclear beta decay and the optical asymmetry of biological molecules is presented. The experiment is based on a mechanism in which the electrons in opticallyactive molecules possess a helicity of less than 0.001, too weak to detect in radiolysis experiments, the sign of which depends on the chirality of the isomer. A helicity-dependent asymmetry is sought in the formation of the triplet ground state of positronium when a low-energy beam of polarized positrons of reversible helicity interacts with an opticallyactive substance coating a channel electron multiplier. Asymmetries between positronium decays observed at positive and negative helicities for the same substance can thus be determined with a sensitivity of 0.0001, which represents a factor of 100 improvement over previous positronium experiments.

As part of ongoing development efforts at MSFC, we have begun to investigate mounting strategies for highly nested xray optics in both full-shell and segmented configurations. The analytical infrastructure for this effort also lends itself to investigation of active strategies. We expect that a consequence of active figure control on relatively thin substrates is that errors are propagated to the edges, where they might affect the effective precision of the mounting points. Based upon modeling, we describe parametrically, the conditions under which active mounts are preferred over fixed ones, and the effect of active figure corrections on the required number, locations, and kinematic characteristics of mounting points.

As part of ongoing development efforts at MSFC, we have begun to investigate mounting strategies for highly nested x-ray optics in both full-shell and segmented configurations. The analytical infrastructure for this effort also lends itself to investigation of active strategies. We expect that a consequence of active figure control on relatively thin substrates is that errors are propagated to the edges, where they might affect the effective precision of the mounting points. Based upon modeling, we describe parametrically, the conditions under which active mounts are preferred over fixed ones, and the effect of active figure corrections on the required number, locations, and kinematic characteristics of mounting points.

There is a critical need for pressure sensors that can operate reliably at high temperatures in many industrial segments such as in the combustion section of gas turbine engines for both transportation and power generation, coal gasifiers, coal fired boilers, etc. Optical-based sensors are particularly attractive for the measurement of a wide variety of physical and chemical parameters in high-temperature and high-pressure industrial environments due to their small size and immunity to electromagnetic interference. A fiber optic pressure sensor utilizing single-crystal cubic zirconia as the sensing element is reported. The pressure response of this sensor has been measured at temperatures up to 1000 °C. Additional experimental results show that cubic zirconia could be used for pressure sensing at temperatures over 1000 °C. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a novel cubic-zirconia sensor for pressure measurement at high temperatures.

Fiber optic grating sensor demodulation systems are described that offer high speed and multiplexing options for both single and multiple parameter fiber optic grating sensors. To attain very high speeds for single parameter fiber grating sensors ratio techniques are used that allow a series of sensors to be placed in a single fiber while retaining high speed capability. These methods can be extended to multiparameter fiber grating sensors. Optimization of speeds can be obtained by minimizing the number of spectral peaks that must be processed and it is shown that two or three spectral peak measurements may in specific multiparameter applications offer comparable or better performance than processing four spectral peaks. Combining the ratio methods with minimization of peak measurements allows very high speed measurement of such important environmental effects as transverse strain and pressure.

An actual problem of the modern medicine is statement of the diagnosis of diseases of a thyroid gland of the person. Extreme sensitivity of this organ to a X-ray radiation and invasive to methods puts a problem about development of an optical tomograph of a high solution. For this purpose the method of coherent optical detection (CDT) in a combination to a posteriori handling can be used with the purpose of elimination of influence of a spread function of a figuring system.

We investigate the dynamics of high-aspect-ratio nanowires trapped axially in a single gradient force optical tweezers. A power spectrum analysis of the dynamics reveals a broad spectral resonance of the order of kHz with peak properties that are strongly dependent on the input trapping power. A dynamical model incorporating linear restoring optical forces, a nonconservative asymmetric coupling between translational and rotational degrees of freedom, viscous drag, and white noise provides an excellent fit to experimental observations. A persistent low-frequency cyclical motion around the equilibrium trapping position, with a frequency distinct from the spectral resonance, is observed from the time series data.

We describe a new surface treatment to obtain optical films for liquid crystal display (LCD) applications. The films consist of a phase-separated layer including a fluorine-containing (FC) compound and a widely used polymer resin for providing a hard coating after surface treatment of the optical film. The major features of the resulting configuration are high durability with a good hardness of above 4H and a surface that allows oily contaminants such as ink and fingerprints to be easily removed by gentle dry wiping, owing to the antismudge function of the FC compound with a low surface energy.

The laser-assisted thermonuclear fusion program has significant needs for improved optical materials with high transmission in the ultraviolet, and with low values of nonlinear index of refraction. Lithium fluoride (LiF) possesses a combination of optical properties which are of potential use. Single-crystalline LiF is limited by low mechanical strength. In this program, we investigated the technique of press-forging to increase the mechanical strength. LiF single crystals were press-forged over the temperature range 300 to 600/sup 0/C to produce fine-grained polycrystalline material.

Recent developments in digital video, multimedia technology and data networks have greatly increased the demand for high bandwidth communication channels and high throughput data processing. Electronics is particularly suited for switching, amplification and logic functions, while optics is more suitable for interconnections and communications with lower energy and crosstalk. In this research, we present the design, testing, integration and demonstration of several optoelectronic smart pixel devices and system architectures. These systems integrate electronic switching/processing capability with parallel optical interconnections to provide high throughput network communication and pipeline data processing. The Smart Pixel Array Cellular Logic processor (SPARCL) is designed in 0.8 m m CMOS and hybrid integrated with Multiple-Quantum-Well (MQW) devices for pipeline image processing. The Smart Pixel Network Interface (SAPIENT) is designed in 0.6 m m GaAs and monolithically integrated with LEDs to implement a highly parallel optical interconnection network. The Translucent Smart Pixel Array (TRANSPAR) design is implemented in two different versions. The first version, TRANSPAR-MQW, is designed in 0.5 m m CMOS and flip-chip integrated with MQW devices to provide 2-D pipeline processing and translucent networking using the Carrier- Sense-MultipleAccess/Collision-Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol. The other version, TRANSPAR-VM, is designed in 1.2 m m CMOS and discretely integrated with VCSEL-MSM (Vertical-Cavity-Surface- Emitting-Laser and Metal-Semiconductor-Metal detectors) chips and driver/receiver chips on a printed circuit board. The TRANSPAR-VM provides an option of using the token ring network protocol in addition to the embedded functions of TRANSPAR-MQW. These optoelectronic smart pixel systems also require micro-optics devices to provide high resolution, high quality optical interconnections and external source arrays. In this research, we describe an innovative

An optical control system for the control of devices in the terminal of an electrostatic accelerator includes a laser that is modulated by a series of preselected codes produced by an encoder. A photodiode receiver is placed in the laser beam at the high-voltage terminal of an electrostatic accelerator. A decoder connected to the photodiode decodes the signals to provide control impulses for a plurality of devices at the high voltage of the terminal.

We demonstrate a thin film active-lens for rapidly and dynamically controllable optical zoom. The active-lens is composed of a convex hemispherical polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lens structure working as an aperture and a dielectric elastomer (DE) membrane actuator, which is a combination of a thin DE layer made with PDMS and a compliant electrode pattern using silver-nanowires. The active-lens is capable of dynamically changing focal point of the soft aperture as high as 18.4% through its translational movement in vertical direction responding to electrically induced bulged-up deformation of the DE membrane actuator. Under operation with various sinusoidal voltage signals, the movement responses are fairly consistent with those estimated from numerical simulation. The responses are not only fast, fairly reversible, and highly durable during continuous cyclic operations, but also large enough to impart dynamic focus tunability for optical zoom in microscopic imaging devices with a light-weight and ultra-slim configuration.

We demonstrate a system that combines a tracking scanning laser ophthalmoscope (TSLO) and an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) system resulting in both optical (hardware) and digital (software) eye-tracking capabilities. The hybrid system employs the TSLO for active eye-tracking at a rate up to 960 Hz for real-time stabilization of the AOSLO system. AOSLO videos with active eye-tracking signals showed, at most, an amplitude of motion of 0.20 arcminutes for horizontal motion and 0.14 arcminutes for vertical motion. Subsequent real-time digital stabilization limited residual motion to an average of only 0.06 arcminutes (a 95% reduction). By correcting for high amplitude, low frequency drifts of the eye, the active TSLO eye-tracking system enabled the AOSLO system to capture high-resolution retinal images over a larger range of motion than previously possible with just the AOSLO imaging system alone. PMID:26203370

Optical Fibers have been used throughout Astronomy for spectroscopy with spectrographs located some distance away from the telescope. This fiber-fed design has greatly increased precision for radial velocity (RV) measurements. However, due to the incomplete fiber illumination mode scrambling in the radial direction, high resolution spectrographs with regular circular fibers have suffered RV uncertainties on the order of a few to tens of m/s with stellar observations, which largely limited their sensitivity in detecting and characterizing low mass planets around stars. At the University of Florida, we studied mode scrambling gain of a few different optical devices, such as three-lens optical double scramblers, octagonal fibers and low numerical aperture fibers with a goal to find an optimal mode scrambling solution for the TOU optical very high resolution spectrograph (R=100,000, 0.38-0.9 microns) and FIRST near infrared high resolution spectrograph (R=60,000, 0.9-1.8 microns) for the on-going Dharma Planet Survey. This presentation will report our lab measurement results and also stellar RV measurements at the observatories.

In SSL general illumination, there is a clear trend to high flux packages with higher efficiency and higher CRI addressed with the use of multiple color chips and phosphors. However, such light sources require the optics provide color mixing, both in the near-field and far-field. This design problem is specially challenging for collimated luminaries, in which diffusers (which dramatically reduce the brightness) cannot be applied without enlarging the exit aperture too much. In this work we present first injection molded prototypes of a novel primary shell-shaped optics that have microlenses on both sides to provide Köhler integration. This shell is design so when it is placed on top of an inhomogeneous multichip Lambertian LED, creates a highly homogeneous virtual source (i.e, spatially and angularly mixed), also Lambertian, which is located in the same position with only small increment of the size (about 10-20%, so the average brightness is similar to the brightness of the source). This shell-mixer device is very versatile and permits now to use a lens or a reflector secondary optics to collimate the light as desired, without color separation effects. Experimental measurements have shown optical efficiency of the shell of 95%, and highly homogeneous angular intensity distribution of collimated beams, in good agreement with the ray-tracing simulations.

A flexible optical disk system, which consists of a thin optical disk and a rigid stabilizer, has recently introduced as the next-generation optical storage media. The present work introduces a new design for the stabilizer that helps to hold the rotating flexible optical disk almost flat and thereby reducing its axial run-out at high rotational speeds; the new design incorporates an axisymmetrically curved active surface of the stabilizer. The combination of the stabilizer curvature and disk rotation generates moderate air-film forces that balance the disk mechanical forces and reduces the disk axial run-out considerably. With a proper combination of the stabilizer geometrical parameters, the out-of-flatness as well as the axial run-out of the disk could be reduced to less than 10 µm. The significant decrease in the axial run-out at rotational speed of 10,000 rpm is primarily due to the flatness of the disk.

The optical studies of high-temperature superconducting cuprates (HTSC) are reviewed. From the doping dependence of room temperature spectra, a dramatic change of the electronic state from a Mott (charge transfer) insulator to a Fermi liquid has been revealed. Additionally, the unusual 2D nature of the electronic state has been found. The temperature dependence of the optical spectra provided a rich source of information on the pseudogap, superconducting gap, Josephson plasmon, transverse Josephson plasma mode and precursory superconductivity. Among these issues, Josephson plasmons and transverse Josephson plasma mode were experimentally discovered by optical measurements, and thus are unique to HTSC. The effect of the spin/charge stripe order is also unique to HTSC, reflecting the conducting nature of the stripe order in this system. The pair-breaking due to the stripe order seems stronger in the out-of-plane direction than in the in-plane one. PMID:27472654

Current state-of the-art for x-ray optics fabrication calls for either the polishing of massive substrates into high-angular-resolution mirrors or the replication of thin, lower-resolution, mirrors from perfectly figured mandrels. Future X-ray Missions will require a change in this optics fabrication paradigm in order to achieve sub-arcsecond resolution in light-weight optics. One possible approach to this is to start with perfectly flat, light-weight surface, bend it into a perfect cone, form the desired mirror figure by material deposition, and insert the resulting mirror into a telescope structure. Such an approach is currently being investigated at MSFC, and a status report will be presented detailing the results of finite element analyses, bending tests and differential deposition experiments.

The optical studies of high-temperature superconducting cuprates (HTSC) are reviewed. From the doping dependence of room temperature spectra, a dramatic change of the electronic state from a Mott (charge transfer) insulator to a Fermi liquid has been revealed. Additionally, the unusual 2D nature of the electronic state has been found. The temperature dependence of the optical spectra provided a rich source of information on the pseudogap, superconducting gap, Josephson plasmon, transverse Josephson plasma mode and precursory superconductivity. Among these issues, Josephson plasmons and transverse Josephson plasma mode were experimentally discovered by optical measurements, and thus are unique to HTSC. The effect of the spin/charge stripe order is also unique to HTSC, reflecting the conducting nature of the stripe order in this system. The pair-breaking due to the stripe order seems stronger in the out-of-plane direction than in the in-plane one.

Magneto-optical characteristics of a new magneto-active material, (Tb(1-x)Hox)3Ga5O12 crystal, have been grown by the Czochralski (Cz) method. A high value of the Verdet constant was obtained at room temperature-namely, 214.9 and 77.8 rad·m-1 T-1 for 632.8 and 1064 nm, respectively. The Verdet constant of the Ho-doped terbium gallium garnet crystal at 1064 nm is about 2 times higher than that of terbium gallium garnet crystal. High value of magneto-optical figure-of-merit makes it an attractive next-generation magneto-optics material for high-power Faraday isolators. PMID:27244419

Forces hold everything together and determine its structure and dynamics. In particular, tiny forces of 1-100 piconewtons govern the structures and dynamics of biomacromolecules. These forces enable folding, assembly, conformational fluctuations, or directional movements of biomacromolecules over sub-nanometer to micron distances. Optical tweezers have become a revolutionary tool to probe the forces, structures, and dynamics associated with biomacromolecules at a single-molecule level with unprecedented resolution. In this review, we introduce the basic principles of optical tweezers and their latest applications in studies of protein folding and molecular motors. We describe the folding dynamics of two strong coiled coil proteins, the GCN4-derived protein pIL and the SNARE complex. Both complexes show multiple folding intermediates and pathways. ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes translocate DNA to remodel chromatin structures. The detailed DNA translocation properties of such molecular motors have recently been characterized by optical tweezers, which are reviewed here. Finally, several future developments and applications of optical tweezers are discussed. These past and future applications demonstrate the unique advantages of high-resolution optical tweezers in quantitatively characterizing complex multi-scale dynamics of biomacromolecules. PMID:24058311

We report on the generation of optical vortex beams using spatial phase modulation with spiral phase mirrors. The spiral phase mirrors are manufactured by direct machining with an ultra-precision single point diamond turning lathe. The imperfection of the machined phase mirrors and its impact on the generated vortex beams are analyzed with interferometric measurements. Our phase mirror has a surface roughness of 3 nm and a maximum peak-valley deviation of λ/30. The vortex charges of our light beams are directly verified by counting the fringes of their corresponding interferograms. We directly observed the successful generation of an optical vortex beam with a charge as high as 5050. We study the Fourier images of the vortex beams to characterize the quality of the beams. We obtained a conversion efficiency of 92.8% from a TEM00 beam to a vortex beam with charge 1020. This technique of generating optical singularities can potentially be used to produce more complex optical wavefronts, such as optical knots.

New analytical method for the calculation of the LED secondary optics for automotive high-beam lamps is presented. Automotive headlamps should illuminate the road and the curb at the distance of 100-150 meters and create a bright, flat, relatively powerful light beam. To generate intensity distribution of this kind we propose to use TIR optical element (collimator working on the total internal reflection principle) with array of microlenses (optical corrector) on the upper surface. TIR part of the optical element enables reflection of the side rays to the front direction and provides a collimated beam which incidents on the microrelief. Microrelief, in its turn, dissipates the light flux in horizontal direction to meet the requirements of the Regulations 112, 113 and to provide well-illuminated area across the road in the far field. As an example, we computed and simulated the optical element with the diameter of 33 millimeters and the height of 22 millimeters. Simulation data shows that three illuminating modules including Cree XP-G2 LED and lens allow generating an appropriate intensity distribution for the class D of UNECE Regulations.

Over three quarters in 2010-2011, Kepler monitored optical emission from four active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with {approx}30 minute sampling, >90% duty cycle, and {approx}<0.1% repeatability. These data determined the AGN optical fluctuation power spectral density (PSD) functions over a wide range in temporal frequency. Fits to these PSDs yielded power-law slopes of -2.6 to -3.3, much steeper than typically seen in the X-rays. We find evidence that individual AGNs exhibit intrinsically different PSD slopes. The steep PSD fits are a challenge to recent AGN variability models but seem consistent with first-order magnetorotational instability theoretical calculations of accretion disk fluctuations.

Hybrid interfaces between organic semiconductors and living tissues represent a new tool for in-vitro and in-vivo applications. In particular, conjugated polymers display several optimal properties as substrates for biological systems, such as good biocompatibility, excellent mechanical properties, cheap and easy processing technology, and possibility of deposition on light, thin and flexible substrates. These materials have been employed for cellular interfaces like neural probes, transistors for excitation and recording of neural activity, biosensors and actuators for drug release. Recent experiments have also demonstrated the possibility to use conjugated polymers for all-optical modulation of the electrical activity of cells. Several in-vitro study cases have been reported, including primary neuronal networks, astrocytes and secondary line cells. Moreover, signal photo-transduction mediated by organic polymers has been shown to restore light sensitivity in degenerated retinas, suggesting that these devices may be used for artificial retinal prosthesis in the future. All in all, light sensitive conjugated polymers represent a new approach for optical modulation of cellular activity. In this work, all the steps required to fabricate a bio-polymer interface for optical excitation of living cells are described. The function of the active interface is to transduce the light stimulus into a modulation of the cell membrane potential. As a study case, useful for in-vitro studies, a polythiophene thin film is used as the functional, light absorbing layer, and Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK-293) cells are employed as the biological component of the interface. Practical examples of successful control of the cell membrane potential upon stimulation with light pulses of different duration are provided. In particular, it is shown that both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing effects on the cell membrane can be achieved depending on the duration of the light stimulus. The reported

Controlling the water content within a product has long been required in the chemical processing, agriculture, food storage, paper manufacturing, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and fuel industries. The limitations of water content measurement as an indicator of safety and quality are attributed to differences in the strength with which water associates with other components in the product. Water activity indicates how tightly water is "bound," structurally or chemically, in products. Water absorption introduces changes in the volume and refractive index of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA. Therefore for a grating made in PMMA based optical fiber, its wavelength is an indicator of water absorption and PMMA thus can be used as a water activity sensor. In this work we have investigated the performance of a PMMA based optical fiber grating as a water activity sensor in sugar solution, saline solution and Jet A-1 aviation fuel. Samples of sugar solution with sugar concentration from 0 to 8%, saline solution with concentration from 0 to 22%, and dried (10ppm), ambient (39ppm) and wet (68ppm) aviation fuels were used in experiments. The corresponding water activities are measured as 1.0 to 0.99 for sugar solution, 1.0 to 0.86 for saline solution, and 0.15, 0.57 and 1.0 for the aviation fuel samples. The water content in the measured samples ranges from 100% (pure water) to 10 ppm (dried aviation fuel). The PMMA based optical fiber grating exhibits good sensitivity and consistent response, and Bragg wavelength shifts as large as 3.4 nm when the sensor is transferred from dry fuel to wet fuel.

The pace of development in the field of advanced microscopy is truly breath-taking, and is leading to major breakthroughs in our understanding of molecular machines and cell function. This special issue of Journal of Optics draws attention to a number of interesting approaches, ranging from fluorescence and imaging of unlabelled cells, to computational methods, all of which are describing the ever increasing detail of the dynamic behaviour of molecules in the living cell. This is a field which traditionally, and currently, demonstrates a marvellous interplay between the disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology, where apparent boundaries to resolution dissolve and living cells are viewed in ever more clarity. It is fertile ground for those interested in optics and non-conventional imaging to contribute high-impact outputs in the fields of cell biology and biomedicine. The series of articles presented here has been selected to demonstrate this interdisciplinarity and to encourage all those with a background in the physical sciences to 'dip their toes' into the exciting and dynamic discoveries surrounding cell function. Although single molecule super-resolution microscopy is commercially available, specimen preparation and interpretation of single molecule data remain a major challenge for scientists wanting to adopt the techniques. The paper by Allen and Davidson [1] provides a much needed detailed introduction to the practical aspects of stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, including sample preparation, image acquisition and image analysis, as well as a brief description of the different variants of single molecule localization microscopy. Since super-resolution microscopy is no longer restricted to three-dimensional imaging of fixed samples, the review by Fiolka [2] is a timely introduction to techniques that have been successfully applied to four-dimensional live cell super-resolution microscopy. The combination of multiple high-resolution techniques

The next generation of focal-plane astronomical instruments requires technological breakthroughs to reduce their system complexity while increasing their scientific performances. Applied to the optical systems, recent studies show that the use of freeform reflective optics allows competitive compact systems with less optical components. In this context, our challenge is to supply an active freeform mirror system, using a combination of different activeoptics techniques. The optical shape will be provided during the fabrication using the mechanical property of metals to plasticize and will be coupled with a specific actuator system to compensate for the residual form errors, during the instrument operation phase. We present in this article the development of an innovative manufacturing process based on cold hydro-forming method, with the aim to adapt it for VIS/NIR requirements in terms of optical surface quality. It can operate on thin and flat polished initial substrates. The realization of a first prototype for a 100 mm optical diameter mirror is in progress, to compare the mechanical behaviours obtained by tests and by Finite Element Analysis (FEA), for different materials. Then, the formed samples will be characterized optically. The opto-mechanical results will allow a fine tuning of FEA parameters to optimize the residual form errors obtained through this process. It concerns the microstructure considerations, the springback effects and the work hardening evolutions of the samples, depending on the initial substrate properties and the boundary conditions applied. Modeling and tests have started with axi-symmetric spherical and aspherical shapes and will continue with highly aspherics and freeforms.

This article investigates the activeoptical control of segments in the primary mirror to correct for wavefront errors in the Deep-Space Optical Receiver Antenna (DSORA). Although an exact assessment of improvement in signal blur radius cannot be made until a more detailed preliminary structural design is completed, analytical tools are identified for a time when such designs become available. A brief survey of appropriate sensing approaches is given. Since the choice of control algorithm and architecture depends on the particular sensing system used, typical control systems, estimated complexities, and the type of equipment required are discussed. Once specific sensor and actuator systems are chosen, the overall control system can be optimized using methods identified in the literature.

We present an approach for extremely fast, wafer-scale fabrication of chiral starfish metamaterials based on electron beam- and on-edge lithography. A millimeter sized array of both the planar chiral and the true 3D chiral starfish is realized, and their chiroptical performances are compared by circular dichroism measurements. We find opticalactivity in the visible and near-infrared spectral range, where the 3D starfish clearly outperforms the planar design by almost 2 orders of magnitude, though fabrication efforts are only moderately increased. The presented approach is capable of bridging the gap between high performance optical chiral metamaterials and industrial production by nanoimprint technology.

AM Her displays strong long-term activity with the high and low states. This investigation uses AAVSO optical data for a time-series analysis of the long-term variations. Rapid changes of brightness (e.g. the orbital modulation) were smoothed out to emphasise the activity on super-orbital time-scale. I show that the character of this activity changed considerably on time-scales of years, which is reflected in a large evolution of the complicated histogram of the optical brightness. The high states are not the well-defined, narrow levels of brightness. I also show that AM Her displays transitions between the high and low states with the intermittently existing cycles. The longest uninterrupted series of transitions from the high to low state consists of seven episodes (about six years). The existence of this series can be controlled by the lifetime of the active regions on the donor, which modulates the mass transfer rate. I show that the episodes of the high and low states accumulate in clusters, which produces an additional cycle after smoothing by the moving averages. The cycles of activity of the donor can explain this modulation. A single isolated short episode of the low state does not imply a break of this cycle. I also argue that the specific properties of star spots and their migration caused by the differential rotation of the donor would be needed to explain the complex activity of AM Her.

Reconstituting the intense irradiance of short-arc discharge lamps at a remote target, at high radiative efficiency, represents a central challenge in the design of high-temperature chemical reactors, heightened by the need for high numerical aperture at both the target and the source. Separating the optical system from both the source and the reactor allows pragmatic operation, monitoring, and control. We explore near-field unfolded aplanats as feasible solutions and report measurements for a prototype that constitutes a double-ellipsoid mirror. We also propose compound unfolded aplanats that collect lamp emission over all angles (in lieu of light recycling optics) and irradiate the reactor over nearly its full circumference. PMID:19122711

A new approach to obtain opticallyactive unsaturated or polyunsaturated systems with a single fluorine atom in an allylic or propargylic position is reported. Central to this strategy is the high regio- and stereocontrol observed during the fluorination of propargylic alcohols allowing a short and efficient synthesis of 1. Further, simple functional group transformations gave the enals 2 and 3. These three key intermediates were used for the preparation of opticallyactive monofluorinated analogues of fatty acid metabolites. PMID:11325281

The bio-optical compact disc (BioCD) is an optical biochip that uses common-path interferometry on a disc spinning at high speed to detect captured proteins. High-speed scanning moves the detection frequency far from 1/f noise, providing high sensitivity and enabling rapid measurement of high-throughput multiplexed assays. The common-path configuration makes it ultra stable with surface height precision down to 20 pm within the focused probe area. This chapter reviews the state of the art in interferometric detection of proteins using spinning-disc interferometry. There are several common-path configurations that achieve phase quadrature for sensitive detection of surface-immobilized proteins. We have implemented differential phase contrast, in-line, microdiffraction, and adaptive optical approaches. Protein patterning provides spatial frequencies for Fourier-domain detection and spatial multiplexing on the BioCD surface. The detection limits of protein are set by a scaling surface mass density, with a metrology limit below 1 pg/mm. Specific immunoassay applications are described for prostate-specific antigen and haptoglobin. A highly multiplexed platform like the BioCD may enable a Moore's Law of protein detection as the scaling capabilities of protein patterning coevolve with proteomics to explore increasingly complex protein interaction networks.

Mammalian tissue requires the delivery of nutrients, growth factors, and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide gases to maintain normal function. These elements are delivered by the blood, which travels through the connected network of blood vessels, known as the vascular system. The vascular system consists of large feeder blood vessels (arteries and veins) that are connected to the small blood vessels (arterioles and venules), which in turn are connected to the capillaries that are directly connected to the tissue and facilitate gas exchange and nutrient delivery. These small blood vessels and capillaries make up an intricate but organized network of blood vessels that exist in all mammalian tissues known as the microvasculature and are very important in maintaining the health and proper function of mammalian tissue. Due to the importance of the microvasculature in tissue survival, disruption of the microvasculature typically leads to tissue dysfunction and tissue death. The most prevalent method to study the microvasculature is visualization. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the gold-standard method to visualize tissue microvasculature. IHC is very well-suited for highly detailed interrogation of the tissue microvasculature at the cellular level but is unwieldy and impractical for wide-field visualization of the tissue microvasculature. The objective my dissertation research was to develop a method to enable wide-field visualization of the microvasculature, while still retaining the high-resolution afforded by optical microscopy. My efforts led to the development of a technique dubbed "optical histology" that combines chemical and optical methods to enable high-resolution visualization of the microvasculature. The development of the technique first involved preliminary studies to quantify optical property changes in optically cleared tissues, followed by development and demonstration of the methodology. Using optical histology, I successfully obtained high

The long baselines of the next-generation ground-based optical stellar interferometers require optical delay lines which can maintain nm-level path-length accuracy while moving at high speeds. NASA-JPL is currently designing delay lines to meet these requirements. The design is an enhanced version of the Mark III delay line, with the following key features: hardened, large diameter wheels, rather than recirculating ball bearings, to reduce mechanical noise; a friction-drive cart which bears the cable-dragging forces, and drives the optics cart through a force connection only; a balanced PZT assembly to enable high-bandwidth path-length control; and a precision aligned flexural suspension for the optics assembly to minimize bearing noise feedthrough. The delay line is fully programmable in position and velocity, and the system is controlled with four cascaded software feedback loops. Preliminary performance is a jitter in any 5 ms window of less than 10 nm rms for delay rates of up to 28 mm/s; total jitter is less than 10 nm rms for delay rates up to 20 mm/s.

In a mainframe computing system, the transfer of data between the processor/memory and the input/output/storage subsystems is done on the I/O channel links. With the demands for computing power increasing at above 40% per year, there is an ever increasing demand for more channel links and more performance on the link. Recent enhancements of the channel protocols make it possible to push the data transfer rate to the hardware limit due to the skew of bits on the parallel lines of the current link. The serialization of the interface with a fiber optic implementation would offer the potential of even more performance from the I/O Channel. For fiber optics to be attractive, the components must offer performance in the hundreds of Mbits/sec, with high reliability (less than 10-12 BER), low power consumption, small packaging profile, and low cost. To date, such components are not commercially available. At IBM Research, a 200 Mbit/sec, 1 km prototype serial subsystem has been built with emphasis on the development of attractive electro-optic components. Laser packaging was done using a Si chip as the substrate for both laser and fiber. A single chip, high sensitivity receiver was built with a digital IBM logic gate array chip. A monolithic dual laser chip and package were developed to enhance the availability of the transmitter. This talk will discuss the features of these developments and the possibilities for fiber optics in a large computer system.

Over the past 15 years, major advances in Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) have been achieved. Ultra-efficient Si solar cells have produced commercial concentration systems which are being fielded today and are competitively priced. Advanced research has primarily focused on significantly more efficient multi-junction solar cells for tomorrow's systems. This effort has produced sophisticated solar cells that significantly improve power production. Additional performance and cost improvements, especially in the optical system area and system integration, must be made before CPV can realize its ultimate commercial potential. Structural integrity and reliability are vital for commercial success. As incremental technical improvements are made in solar cell technologies, evaluation and 'fine-tuning' of optical systems properly matched to the solar cell are becoming increasingly necessary. As we move forward, it is increasingly important to optimize all of the interrelated elements of a CPV system for high performance without sacrificing the marketable cost and structural requirements of the system. Areas such as wavelength absorption of refractive optics need to be carefully matched to the solar cell technology employed. Reflective optics require advanced engineering models to insure uniform flux distribution without excessive losses. In Situ measurement of the 'fine-grain' improvements are difficult as multiple variables such as solar insolation, temperature, wind, altitude, etc. infringe on analytical data. This paper discusses design considerations based on 10 years of field trials of high concentration systems and their relevance for tomorrow's advanced CPV systems.

of high level of chromospheric activity. The chromospheric line emission for both stars seems to correlate with the photometric light curve, i.e. maximum at the light curve minimum, or minimum at the light curve maximum. The value of 5.3 for the ratio of the excess emission in Halpha to Hbeta, EHalpha/EHbeta for the star FR Cnc, suggests that the chromospheric emission May arise from an extended off-limb region. We have searched for the presence of color excesses in the near-IR JHK bands of these stars using 2MASS data, but none of them appear to have any significant color excess. The kinematics of the stars FR Cnc, HD 95559, HD 160934 and LO Peg suggest that these are younger than 0.6 Gyrs. The archival X-ray observations of HD 81032, HD 95559, HD 160934 and LO Peg carried out by with the ROSAT observatory were also analyzed. We did not find any significant variability in the X-ray light curve of the stars HD 95559. However, it appears from the X-ray light curve of HD 81032 that a moderate flare occurred during the RASS observations, with a peak of about 0.6 ct s^{-1} at approximately JD=244806.95 and half decay time of 2.6 x 10^4 s. A similar flare was also observed in HD 160934 with a peak about 0.2 ct s^{-1} (above its mean level) at JD = 2448123.12. A significant variability was found in the X-ray light curve of LO Peg. Rotational modulation appears to be present in the X-ray light curve of LO Peg. The best fit models to their X-ray spectra imply the presence of two coronal plasma components of differing temperatures and with sub-solar metal abundances. The inferred emission measures and temperatures of HD 95559 and LO Peg are similar to those found for other active dwarf stars. The observed X-ray spectrum and the inferred coronal plasma parameters for HD 81032 are typical of those seen in active stars such as RS CVn binaries. All of the optical and X-ray properties found for FR Cnc, HD 95559, HD 160934 and LO Peg are most consistent to the BY Dra type. However

The merging of such seemingly disparate fields as optical frequency metrology and ultrafast physics over the past few years has had a revolutionary impact on both fields. Extensive research over the past several decades has focused on stabilizing cw lasers to atomic and molecular transitions. These transitions in the optical and near-infrared regimes provide some of the highest Q's accessible in spectroscopy due to their high resonant frequencies (Q ≡ nu o/deltanu). Modern experiments have enjoyed increasing levels of precision and accuracy due to such stabilized laser systems. A long standing problem in optical frequency metrology, however, is the difficulty to perform direct frequency measurements in the optical spectrum. Traditional optical frequency chains are complex, costly, and lack flexibility. Recent experiments based on mode-locked femtosecond (fs) lasers promise to eliminate this problem and make optical frequency measurements accessible as a general laboratory tool. The use of fs lasers now enables the direct measurement of optical transitions by simply linking these frequencies to the repetition rate of the fs laser. The ability of the femtosecond laser to link the optical and radio frequency regimes is ultimately limited by its stability. In this dissertation, we present a novel stabilization scheme in which the frequency, phase, and repetition rate of a Kerr-lens mode-locked (KLM) ti:sapphire laser are locked to that of an ultra-stable Fabry-Perot reference cavity. The large signal to noise ratio of the recovered cavity resonance allows the superb short term stability (tau < 1 second) of the passive reference cavity to be transferred to the femtosecond laser. This technique may find future application in any experiment involving the use of femtosecond pulses in which a resonant cavity is employed, such as intracavity studies of light-matter interactions with ultra-short pulses. The short term instability of the cavity stabilized femtosecond laser

Optical sensors that are applied in conjunction with bright optical sources such as lasers typically have to be protected from damaging light exposure levels by the use of optical limiters. The principal aims for optical limiter materials are: (1) to block selectively the frequency of interest at high light levels and - at low light levels - exhibit high transmittance of optical frequencies in order to enable the fabrication of transparent yet protective windows; (2) a rapid response time when exposed to high light levels. Novel opportunities for the design of materials with dynamic switchable limiting properties are provided by optically transparent two-photon active polymer nanocomposites materials in which the scattering strength of embedded particle fillers can be dynamically modulated by the nonlinear absorption of a polymer host medium. In a first part this contribution will present recent results on the synthesis of silica nanoparticles that are index-matched to organic solvents by means of polymer functionalization. Effective medium theory will be shown to provide a valuable tool in predicting polymer-graft compositions that are index-matched to the embedding solvent thus resulting in dramatically reduced linear scattering cross section of the particle dispersant. The second part of this contribution will present preliminary results on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of particle dispersions in both solvent and solutions of two-photon active (TPA) dyes. For mixed solutions of TPA-dyes and index-matched particle fillers an increased limiting efficiency is observed while neat particles are found to be TPA inactive.

The primary goal of this research program was the investigation and application of noncontact temperature measurement techniques using optical techniques and optical fiber methods. In particular, a pyrometer utilizing an infrared optical light pipe and a multiwavelength filtering approach was designed, revised, and tested. This work was motivated by the need to measure the temperatures of small metallic pellets (approximately 3 mm diameter) in free fall at the Microgravity Materials Processing Drop Tube at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. In addition, research under this program investigated the adaptation of holography technology to optical fiber sensors, and also examined the use of rare-earth dopants in optical fibers for use in measuring temperature. The pyrometer development effort involved both theoretical analysis and experimental tests. For the analysis, a mathematical model based on radiative transfer principles was derived. Key parameter values representative of the drop tube system, such as particle size, tube diameter and length, and particle temperature, were used to determine an estimate of the radiant flux that will be incident on the face of an optical fiber or light pipe used to collect radiation from the incandescent falling particle. An extension of this work examined the advantage of inclining or tilting the collecting fiber to increase the time that the falling particle remains in the fiber field-of-view. Those results indicate that increases in total power collected of about 15 percent may be realized by tilting the fiber. In order to determine the suitability of alternative light pipes and optical fibers, and experimental set-up for measuring the transmittance and insertion loss of infrared fibers considered for use in the pyrometer was assembled. A zirconium fluoride optical fiber and several bundles of hollow core fiber of varying diameters were tested. A prototype two-color pyrometer was assembled and tested at Virginia Tech, and then

An optical disk buffer concept can provide gigabit-per-second data rates and terabit capacity through the use of arrays of solid state lasers applied to a stack of erasable/reusable optical disks. The RCA optical disk buffer has evoked interest by NASA for space applications. The porous graphite air bearings in the rotary spindle as well as those used in the linear translation of the read/write head would be replaced by magnetic bearings or mechanical (ball or roller) bearings. Based upon past experience, roller or ball bearings for the translation stages are not feasible. Unsatisfactory, although limited experience exists with ball bearing spindles also. Magnetic bearings, however, appear ideally suited for both applications. The use of magnetic bearings is advantageous in the optical disk buffer because of the absence of physical contact between the rotating and stationary members. This frictionless operation leads to extended life and reduced drag. The manufacturing tolerances that are required to fabricate magnetic bearings would also be relaxed from those required for precision ball and gas bearings. Since magnetic bearings require no lubricant, they are inherently compatible with a space (vacuum) environment. Magnetic bearings also allow the dynamics of the rotor/bearing system to be altered through the use of active control. This provides the potential for reduced vibration, extended regions of stable operation, and more precise control of position.

We present the results of high resolution (R ≥ 30,000) optical and near-IR spectroscopic monitoring observations of HBC 722, a recent FU Orionis object that underwent an accretion burst in 2010. We observed HBC 722 in the optical/near-IR with the Bohyunsan Optical Echelle Spectrograph, Hobby–Eberly Telescope-HRS, and Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph, at various points in the outburst. We found atomic lines with strongly blueshifted absorption features or P Cygni profiles, both evidence of a wind driven by the accretion. Some lines show a broad double-peaked absorption feature, evidence of disk rotation. However, the wind-driven and disk-driven spectroscopic features are anti-correlated in time; the disk features became strong as the wind features disappeared. This anti-correlation might indicate that the rebuilding of the inner disk was interrupted by the wind pressure during the first 2 years. The half-width at half-depth of the double-peaked profiles decreases with wavelength, indicative of the Keplerian rotation; the optical spectra with the disk feature are fitted by a G5 template stellar spectrum convolved with a rotation velocity of 70 km s‑1 while the near-IR disk features are fitted by a K5 template stellar spectrum convolved with a rotation velocity of 50 km s‑1. Therefore, the optical and near-IR spectra seem to trace the disk at 39 and 76 R⊙, respectively. We fit a power-law temperature distribution in the disk, finding an index of 0.8, comparable to optically thick accretion disk models. Based on observations obtained with the Hobby–Eberly Telescope, which is a joint project of the University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.

We present the results of high resolution (R ≥ 30,000) optical and near-IR spectroscopic monitoring observations of HBC 722, a recent FU Orionis object that underwent an accretion burst in 2010. We observed HBC 722 in the optical/near-IR with the Bohyunsan Optical Echelle Spectrograph, Hobby-Eberly Telescope-HRS, and Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph, at various points in the outburst. We found atomic lines with strongly blueshifted absorption features or P Cygni profiles, both evidence of a wind driven by the accretion. Some lines show a broad double-peaked absorption feature, evidence of disk rotation. However, the wind-driven and disk-driven spectroscopic features are anti-correlated in time; the disk features became strong as the wind features disappeared. This anti-correlation might indicate that the rebuilding of the inner disk was interrupted by the wind pressure during the first 2 years. The half-width at half-depth of the double-peaked profiles decreases with wavelength, indicative of the Keplerian rotation; the optical spectra with the disk feature are fitted by a G5 template stellar spectrum convolved with a rotation velocity of 70 km s-1 while the near-IR disk features are fitted by a K5 template stellar spectrum convolved with a rotation velocity of 50 km s-1. Therefore, the optical and near-IR spectra seem to trace the disk at 39 and 76 R⊙, respectively. We fit a power-law temperature distribution in the disk, finding an index of 0.8, comparable to optically thick accretion disk models. Based on observations obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, which is a joint project of the University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.

We used GALEX ultraviolet and WISE 22 μm observations to investigate the current star formation activity of the optically red spirals recently identified as part of the Galaxy Zoo project. These galaxies were accurately selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey as pure discs with low or no current star formation activity, representing one of the best optically selected samples of candidate passive spirals. However, we show that these galaxies are not only still forming stars at a significant rate (≳1 M⊙ yr-1) but, more importantly, their star formation activity is not different from that of normal star-forming discs of the same stellar mass (M∗ ≳ 1010.2 M⊙). Indeed, these systems lie on the UV-optical blue sequence, even without any corrections for internal dust attenuation, and they follow the same specific star formation rate vs. stellar mass relation of star-forming galaxies. Our findings clearly show that at high stellar masses, optical colours do not allow to distinguish between actively star-forming and truly quiescent systems.

Adaptive optics, when integrated into retinal imaging systems, compensates for rapidly changing ocular aberrations in real time and results in improved high resolution images that reveal the photoreceptor mosaic. Imaging the retina at high resolution has numerous potential medical applications, and yet for the development of commercial products that can be used in the clinic, the complexity and high cost of the present research systems have to be addressed. We present a new method to control the deformable mirror in real time based on pupil tracking measurements which uses the default camera for the alignment of the eye in the retinal imaging system and requires no extra cost or hardware. We also present the first experiments done with a compact adaptive optics flood illumination fundus camera where it was possible to compensate for the higher order aberrations of a moving model eye and in vivo in real time based on pupil tracking measurements, without the real time contribution of a wavefront sensor. As an outcome of this research, we showed that pupil tracking can be effectively used as a low cost and practical adaptive optics tool for high resolution retinal imaging because eye movements constitute an important part of the ocular wavefront dynamics. PMID:22312577

We describe an experiment in which the rotation of the polarization of light propagating in an opticallyactive water solution of D-fructose tends to be inhibited by frequent monitoring whether the polarization remains unchanged. This is an example of the Zeno effect that has remarkable pedagogical interest because of its conceptual simplicity, easy implementation, low cost, and because the same the Zeno effect holds at classical and quantum levels. An added value is the demonstration of the Zeno effect beyond typical idealized assumptions in a practical setting with real polarizers.

In telescopes based on activeoptics, defocus and coma are usually compensated for by secondary mirror movements. They are performed at the Very Large Telescope Survey Telescope (VST) with a hexapod--a parallel robot with six degrees of freedom positioning capability. We describe the application of the two-mirror telescope theory to the VST case and the solutions adopted for the hexapod control. We present the results of performance and reliability tests performed both in the laboratory and at the telescope. PMID:20517391

We consider the effects of multistate transitions on the tunneling racemization of chiral molecules. This requires going beyond simple two-state models of enantiomers and to include transitions within a multiple-level quantum-mechanical system. We derive an effective two-level description which accounts for transitions from the enantiomers to an arbitrary number of excited states as an application of the Weisskopf-Wigner approximation scheme. Modifications to the opticalactivity from these additional states are considered in general terms under the assumption of CPT invariance and then under T invariance. Some formal dynamical analogies between enantiomers and the neutral K-meson system are discussed.

The last two decades have seen remarkable progress and improvements in optical biosensor systems such that those are currently seen as an important and value-adding component of modern drug screening activities. In particular the introduction of microplate-based biosensor systems holds the promise to match the required throughput without compromising on data quality thus representing a sought-after complement to traditional fluidic systems. This article aims to highlight the application of the two most prominent optical biosensor technologies, namely surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and optical waveguide grating (OWG), in small-molecule screening and will present, review and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different assay formats on these platforms. A particular focus will be on the specific advantages of the inhibition in solution assay (ISA) format in contrast to traditional direct binding assays (DBA). Furthermore we will discuss different application areas for both fluidic as well as plate-based biosensor systems by considering the individual strength of the platforms. PMID:22666031

Optical parametric amplification is an established broadband amplification technology based on a second-order nonlinear process of difference-frequency generation (DFG). When used in chirped pulse amplification (CPA), the technology has been termed optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA). OPCPA holds a potential for producing unprecedented levels of peak and average power in optical pulses through its scalable ultrashort pulse amplification capability and the absence of quantum defect, respectively. The theory of three-wave parametric interactions is presented, followed by a description of the numerical model developed for nanosecond pulses. Spectral, temperature and angular characteristics of OPCPA are calculated, with an estimate of pulse contrast. An OPCPA system centered at 1054 nm, based on a commercial tabletop Q-switched pump laser, was developed as the front end for a large Nd-glass petawatt-class short-pulse laser. The system does not utilize electro-optic modulators or multi-pass amplification. The obtained overall 6% efficiency is the highest to date in OPCPA that uses a tabletop commercial pump laser. The first compression of pulses amplified in highly nondegenerate OPCPA is reported, with the obtained pulse width of 60 fs. This represents the shortest pulse to date produced in OPCPA. Optical parametric amplification in {beta}-barium borate was combined with laser amplification in Ti:sapphire to produce the first hybrid CPA system, with an overall conversion efficiency of 15%. Hybrid CPA combines the benefits of high gain in OPCPA with high conversion efficiency in Ti:sapphire to allow significant simplification of future tabletop multi-terawatt sources. Preliminary modeling of average power limits in OPCPA and pump laser design are presented, and an approach based on cascaded DFG is proposed to increase the average power beyond the single-crystal limit. Angular and beam quality effects in optical parametric amplification are modeled

Optical links provide high speed data transmission with low mass fibers favorable for applications in high energy experiments. We report investigation of a compact Light Peak optical engine designed for data transmission at 4.8 Gbps. The module is assembled with bare die VCSEL, PIN diodes and a control IC aligned within a prism receptacle for light coupling to fiber ferrule. Radiation damage in the receptacle was examined with 60Co gamma ray. Radiation induced single event effects in the optical engine were studied with protons, neutrons and X-ray tests.

Tests results are given for exposure of multimode optical fiber to high temperatures (300 deg. C) and high partial pressure (15 bar) hydrogen. These results demonstrate that fluorine down doped optical fibers are much more hydrogen tolerant than traditional germanium doped multimode optical fibers. Also demonstrated is the similar hydrogen tolerance of carbon coated and non-carbon coated fibers. Model for reversible H2 impact in fiber versus T{sup o}C and H2 pressure is given. These results have significant impact for the longevity of use for distributed temperature sensing applications in harsh environments such as geothermal wells.

The BLLac object 1055+018 shows a highactivity at optical wavelengths. Our observations at the Perkins telescope (Flagstaff, AZ) on February 17/18, 2015 show that the source is ~ 2mag (R~14.7) brighter and highly polarized (P~24%) than it was during our previous optical observations in 2014 June (R~17.0 and P~5%).

Optical performance monitoring (OPM) becomes an attractive topic as the rapid growth of data rate in optical communication networks. It provides improved operation of the high capacity optical transmission systems. Among the various impairments, chromatic dispersion (CD) is one of major factors limiting the transmission distance in high-speed communication systems. Polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) also becomes a degrading effect in the system with data rate larger than 40 Gbit/s. In this paper, we summarize several CD and PMD monitoring methods based on RF spectrum analysis and delay-tap sampling. By using a narrow band fiber Bragg grating (FBG) notch filter, centered at 10 GHz away from the optical carrier, 10-GHz RF power can be used as a CD-insensitive PMD monitoring signal. By taking the 10-GHz RF power ratio of non-filtered and filtered signal, PMD-insensitive CD monitoring can be achieved. If the FBG notch filter is placed at optical carrier, the RF clock power ratio between non-filtered and filtered signal is also a PMDinsensitive CD monitoring parameter, which has larger RF power dynamic range and better measurement resolution. Both simulation and experiment results show that the proposed methods are efficient on measuring CD and PMD values in 57-Gbit/s D8PSK systems. Delay-tap sampling is another efficient method of measuring residual CD. Amplitude ratio of asynchronous delay-tap sampling plot decreases with CD monotonously, and the amplitude ratio can be obtained by using low bandwidth balanced receiver. The simulated results show that our method is efficient on residual CD measurement in 50-Gbit/s 50% RZ DQPSK systems with a 12-GHz balanced receiver. Since no modification on the transmitter or receiver is required, the proposed scheme is simple and cost effective.

A new generation of nearly first-principles calculations predicts both the linear and second-harmonic susceptibilities for a variety of insulating crystals, including GaAs, GaP, AlAs, AlP, Se, {alpha}-quartz, and c-urea. The results are typically in agreement with experimental measurements. The calculations have been extended to opticalactivity, with somewhat less success to date. The theory, based on a simple self-energy correction to the local density approximation, and results are reviewed herein.

This article is devoted to the conceptual design of a compact high-voltage scanning ion microscope (HVSIM). In an HVSIM design, the ion optical system is based on a high-brightness ion source. Specifically, the ion optical system is divided into two components: an ion injector and a probe-forming system (PFS) that consists of an accelerating tube and a multiplet of quadrupole lenses. The crossover is formed and controlled by the injector, which acts as an object collimator, and is focused on the image plane by the PFS. The ion microprobe has a size of 0.1 μm and an energy of 2 MeV. When the influence of the chromatic and third-order aberrations is theoretically taken into account, the HVSIM forms an ion microprobe.

We report on the development of prototype vibration and acoustic motion sensors using highly over-coupled couplers (HOCC). A HOCC fabricated with equal power in both arms after 550 optical power transfer cycles and when illuminated with a light source of 15 {mu}W at a wavelength of 850 nm, this device has a sensitivity of 0.9 {mu}W/{mu}m. A prototype of an optical fiber vibration sensor was made by clamping the 550 cycled HOCC to a cantilever stage to which a vibration source was attached. The maximum linear range of this particular prototype is 12 {mu}m. We have also demonstrated a HOCC having 2150 cycles at 850 nm which has a sensitivity of 4 {mu}W/{mu}m. A HOCC sensor has the possible advantages of high resolution, low cost, and all fiber structure. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}

This paper provides an overview of ultrafast wavefront rotation of femtosecond laser pulses and its various applications in highly nonlinear optics, focusing on processes that lead to the generation of high-order harmonics and attosecond pulses. In this context, wavefront rotation can be exploited in different ways, to obtain new light sources for time-resolved studies, called ‘attosecond lighthouses’, to perform time-resolved measurements of nonlinear optical processes, using ‘photonic streaking’, or to track changes in the carrier-envelope relative phase of femtosecond laser pulses. The basic principles are explained qualitatively from different points of view, the experimental evidence obtained so far is summarized, and the perspectives opened by these effects are discussed.

This report summarizes work on the development of ultra-high-speed semiconductor optical and electronic devices. High-speed operation is achieved by velocity matching the input stimulus to the output signal along the device`s length. Electronic devices such as field-effect transistors (FET`s), should experience significant speed increases by velocity matching the electrical input and output signals along the device. Likewise, optical devices, which are typically large, can obtain significant bandwidths by velocity matching the light being generated, detected or modulated with the electrical signal on the device`s electrodes. The devices discussed in this report utilize truly distributed electrical design based on slow-wave propagation to achieve velocity matching.

As a concern with the reliability, bandwidth and mass of future optical links in LHC experiments, we are investigating CW lasers and light modulators as an alternative to VCSELs. These links will be particularly useful if they utilize light modulators which are very small, low power, high bandwidth, and are very radiation hard. We have constructed a test system with 3 such links, each operating at 10 Gb/s. We present the quality of these links (jitter, rise and fall time, BER) and eye mask margins (10GbE) for 3 different types of modulators: LiNbO3-based, InP-based, and Si-based. We present the results of radiation hardness measurements with up to ~1012 protons/cm2 and ~65 krad total ionizing dose (TID), confirming no single event effects (SEE) at 10 Gb/s with either of the 3 types of modulators. These optical links will be an integral part of intelligent tracking systems at various scales from coupled sensors through intra-module and off detector communication. We have used a Si-based photonic transceiver to build a complete 40 Gb/s bi-directional link (10 Gb/s in each of four fibers) for a 100m run and have characterized it to compare with standard VCSEL-based optical links. Some future developments of optical modulator-based high bandwidth optical readout systems, and applications based on both fiber and free space data links, such as local triggering and data readout and trigger-clock distribution, are also discussed.

A switch matrix implemented as an optical crossbar using semiconductor optical amplifiers is able to accommodate extreme concentrations of data traffic. Due to the need to reduce optical guard band overhead it is beneficial to switch fixed size bursts of data cells on a time slot basis. The high capacity of the optical matrix supports multiple optical ports per burst card, and the implementation of multiple queue servers per burst card helps make better use of the multiplicity of ports. Problems associated with arbitrating multiple ports and multiple servers per burst card have been resolved by extending the operation of existing iterative, single server scheduling algorithms. The multiserver arbitration time will be in proportion to the number of servers -- corresponding to the channels of DWDM link -- unless a reconciliation stage is used after each iteration when an arbiter per server is used. The reconciliation stage sets the problem of broken data dependencies between server arbitrations in this case. Further, to address the time limitations for computing the scheduling solution, parallel arbiter implementations have been developed and tested against single arbiter designs. Again, the broken dependencies between iterations of an arbitration are addressed through the use of a grant reconciliation stage. The use of multiple queue servers per burst card also resolves some of the data loss problems related to polarized traffic. Simulations of the multiple server and parallel arbiter implementations have demonstrated their efficiency compared to previous implementations. Compounded to this problem is maintaining high throughput of the switch matrix while observing data transit time limits. This involves balancing two contradictory requirements; switch or line card efficiency and data transit times. To improve efficiency it is desirable to transmit only full packets. However, to prevent loss of data due to timeout it will be necessary to transmit some incomplete

Many diseases involve changes in cell signaling cascades, as seen commonly in drug resistant cancers. To better understand these intricate signaling events in diseased cells and tissues, experimental methods of probing cellular communication at a single to multi-cell level are required. We recently introduced a general platform for activation of selected signaling pathways by optically controlled delivery and release of water soluble factors using gold-coated liposomes. In the example presented here, we encapsulated inositol trisphosphate (IP3), a ubiquitous intracellular secondary messenger involved in GPCR and Akt signaling cascades, within 100 nm gold-coated liposomes. The high polarizability of the liposome's unique gold pseudo-shell allows stable optical trapping for subcellular manipulation in the presence of cells. We take this optical manipulation further by optically injecting IP3-containing liposomes into the cytosol of a single cell to initiate localized cell signaling. Upon optical injection of liposomal IP3 into a single ovarian carcinoma cell, we observed localized activation as reported by changes in Indo-1 fluorescence intensity. With established gap junctions between the injected cell and neighboring cells, we monitored propagation of this signaling to and through nearby cells.

High density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) is a noninvasive neuroimaging modality with moderate spatial resolution and localization accuracy. Due to portability and wear-ability advantages, HD-DOT has the potential to be used in populations that are not amenable to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), such as hospitalized patients and young children. However, whereas the use of event-related stimuli designs, general linear model (GLM) analysis, and imaging statistics are standardized and routine with fMRI, such tools are not yet common practice in HD-DOT. In this paper we adapt and optimize fundamental elements of fMRI analysis for application to HD-DOT. We show the use of event-related protocols and GLM de-convolution analysis in un-mixing multi-stimuli event-related HD-DOT data. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) in the framework of a general linear model is developed considering the temporal and spatial characteristics of HD- DOT data. The statistical analysis utilizes a random field noise model that incorporates estimates of the local temporal and spatial correlations of the GLM residuals. The multiple-comparison problem is addressed using a cluster analysis based on non-stationary Gaussian random field theory. These analysis tools provide access to a wide range of experimental designs necessary for the study of the complex brain functions. In addition, they provide a foundation for understanding and interpreting HD-DOT results with quantitative estimates for the statistical significance of detected activation foci. PMID:23732886

For a long time volume Holographic Optical Elements (vHOE) have been discussed as an alternative, but were hampered by a lack of suitable materials. They provide several benefits over surface corrugated diffractive optical element like high diffraction efficiency due to their ability to reconstruct a single diffraction order, freedom of optical design by freely setting the replay angles and adjusting their bandwidth by a selection of the vHOE's thickness. Additional interesting features are related to their high Bragg selectivity providing transparent films for off-Bragg illumination. In this paper we report on our newly developed photopolymer film technology (Bayfol® HX) that uniquely requires no post processing after holographic exposure. We explain the governing non-local polymerization driven diffusion process leading to an active mass transport triggered by constructive interference. Key aspects of the recording process and their impact on index modulation formation is discussed. The influence on photopolymer film thickness on the bandwidth is shown. A comparison between coupled wave theory (CWT) simulation and experimental results is given. There are two basic recording geometries: reflection and transmission vHOEs. We explain consequences of how to record them properly and discuss in more detail the special challenges in transmission hologram recording. Here beam ratio and customization of photopolymer film properties can be applied most beneficially to achieve highest diffraction efficiency.

We study the design of fiber-optic transport systems and the behavior of fiber amplifiers/lasers with the aim of achieving higher capacities with larger amplifier spacing. Solitons are natural candidates for transmitting short pulses for high-capacity fiber-optic networks because of its innate ability to use two of fiber's main defects, fiber dispersion and fiber nonlinearity to balance each other. In order for solitons to retain its dynamic nature, amplifiers must be placed periodically to restore powers to compensate for fiber loss. Variational analysis is used to study the long-term stability of a periodical- amplifier system. A new regime of operation is identified which allows the use of a much longer amplifier spacing. If optical fibers are the blood vessels of an optical communication system, then the optical amplifier based on erbium-doped fiber is the heart. Optical communication systems can avoid the use of costly electrical regenerators to maintain system performance by being able to optically amplify the weakened signals. The length of amplifier spacing is largely determined by the gain excursion experienced by the solitons. We propose, model, and demonstrate a distributed erbium-doped fiber amplifier which can drastically reduce the amount of gain excursion experienced by the solitons, therefore allowing a much longer amplifier spacing and superior stability. Dispersion management techniques have become extremely valuable tools in the design of fiber-optic communication systems. We have studied in depth the advantage of different arnplification schemes (lumped and distributed) for various dispersion compensation techniques. We measure the system performance through the Q factor to evaluate the added advantage of effective noise figure and smaller gain excursion. An erbium-doped fiber laser has been constructed and characterized in an effort to develop a test bed to study transmission systems. The presence of mode-partition noise in an erbium

The availability of high-bandwidth internet connections to home gateways will place increasing demands on the home access network that provides connections to computers and other devices. In this paper the use of infrared optical wireless to provide connections to user appliances and terminals is discussed. The design and implementation of two demonstration systems operating at hundreds of Mbit/s and above are detailed. Future challenges are also discussed.

A novel fiber optic pressure sensor based on the photoelastic effects has been developed for extremely high temperature gases. At temperatures varying from 25 to 650 C, the sensor experiences no change in the peak pressure of the transfer function and only a 10 percent drop in dynamic range. Refinement of the sensor has resulted in an optoelectronic interface and processor software which can calculate pressure values within 1 percent of full scale at any temperature within the full calibrated temperature range.

A novel birefringent microstructured fibre (BMF) design is proposed, and its birefringence and dispersion characteristics are analysed using the finite element method. The results indicate that the proposed BMF design ensures high birefringence ({approx}5x10{sup -3}) at a low mode asymmetry. At a certain core ellipticity, the BMF configurations considered may have equal mode field sizes along two orthogonal axes. (fibre optics)

A high-gain preamplifier based on optical parametric amplification. A first nonlinear crystal is operatively connected to a second nonlinear crystal. A first beam relay telescope is operatively connected to a second beam relay telescope, to the first nonlinear crystal, and to the second nonlinear crystal. A first harmonic beamsplitter is operatively connected to a second harmonic beamsplitter, to the first nonlinear crystal, to the second nonlinear crystal, to the first beam relay telescope, and to the second beam relay telescope.

A number of optical techniques used for the analysis of in-plane displacements or strains are reviewed. The application would be for the high temperature, approximately 1430 C (2600 F), tensile testing of ceramic composites in an oxidizing atmosphere. General descriptions of the various techniques and specifics such as gauge lengths and sensitivities are noted. Also, possible problems with the use of each method in the given application are discussed.

Over the last decades the significant grow of interest of photonics devices is observed in various fields of applications. Due to the market demands, the current research studies are focused on the technologies providing miniaturized, reliable low-cost micro-optical systems, particularly the ones featuring the fabrication of high aspect ratio structures. A high potential of these technologies comes from the fact that fabrication process is not limited to single optical components, but entire systems integrating sets of elements could be fabricated. This could in turn result in a significant saving on the assembly and packaging costs. We present a brief overview of the most common high aspect ratio fabrication technologies for micro-optical components followed by some characterization studies of these techniques. The sidewall quality and internal homogeneity will be considered as the most crucial parameters, having an impact on the wavefront propagation in the fabricated components. We show the characterization procedure and measurement results for components prototyped with Deep Proton Writing and glass micromachining technology replicated with Hot Embossing and Elastomeric Mould Vacuum Casting technology. We discuss the pros and cons for using these technologies for the production of miniaturized interferometers blocks. In this paper we present the status of our research on the new technology chain and we show the concept of microinterferometers to be fabricated within presented technology chain.

As the key prerequisite of high-speed volumetric structural and functional tissue imaging in real-time, scaling the A-scan rate beyond MHz has been one of the major pursuits in the development of optical coherence tomography (OCT). Along with a handful of techniques enabling multi-MHz, amplified optical time-stretch OCT (AOT-OCT) has recently been demonstrated as a viable alternative for ultrafast swept-source OCT well above MHz without the need for the mechanical wavelength-tuning mechanism. In this paper, we report a new generation of AOT-OCT demonstrating superior performance to its older generation and all other time-stretch-based OCT modalities in terms of shot-to-shot stability, sensitivity (~90dB), roll-off performance (>4 mm/dB) and A-scan rate (11.5 MHz). Such performance is mainly attributed to the combined contribution from the stable operation of the broadband and compact mode-locked fiber laser as well as the optical amplification in-line with the time-stretch process. The system allows us, for the first time, to deliver volumetric time-stretch-based OCT of biological tissues with the single-shot A-scan rate beyond 10 MHz. Comparing with the existing high-speed OCT systems, the inertia-free AOT-OCT shows promises to realize high-performance 3D OCT imaging at video rate. PMID:25909017

We demonstrate intrinsic optical signal (IOS) imaging of intact rat islet, which consists of many endocrine cells working together. A near-infrared digital microscope was employed for optical monitoring of islet activities evoked by glucose stimulation. Dynamic NIR images revealed transient IOS responses in the islet activated by low-dose (2.75 mM) and high-dose (5.5 mM) glucose stimuli. Comparative experiments and quantitative analysis indicated that both glucose metabolism and calcium/insulin dynamics might contribute to the observed IOS responses. Further investigation of the IOS imaging technology may provide a high resolution method for ex vivo functional examination of the islet, which is important for advanced study of diabetes associated islet dysfunctions and for improved quality control of donor islets for transplantation.

In this paper application of integrated Optical Fiber Sensors for strain state monitoring of composite high pressure vessels is presented. The composite tanks find broad application in areas such as: automotive industry, aeronautics, rescue services, etc. In automotive application they are mainly used for gaseous fuels storage (like CNG or compressed Hydrogen). In comparison with standard steel vessels, composite ones have many advantages (i.e. high mechanical strength, significant weight reduction, etc). In the present work a novel technique of vessel manufacturing, according to this construction, was applied. It is called braiding technique, and can be used as an alternative to the winding method. During braiding process, between GFRC layers, two types of optical fiber sensors were installed: point sensors in the form of FBGs as well as interferometric sensors with long measuring arms (SOFO®). Integrated optical fiber sensors create the nervous system of the pressure vessel and are used for its structural health monitoring. OFS register deformation areas and detect construction damages in their early stage (ensure a high safety level for users). Applied sensor system also ensured a possibility of strain state monitoring even during the vessel manufacturing process. However the main application of OFS based monitoring system is to detect defects in the composite structure. An idea of such a SMART vessel with integrated sensor system as well as an algorithm of defect detection was presented.

With the terabyte demands of storage in many applications, the improvement of the speed of optical disk, especially the write performance will definitely extend the scope of their applications and enhance the overall performance of computer system. One effective way to improve the speed is to use a plurality of optical disk drivers together to construct an optical storage array similar to Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID). According to the typical architecture of RAID, the most common fault tolerant RAID architecture is RAID level 1 or RAID level 5. Both are not suitable for optical storage array because RAID level 1 architecture has the most redundancy, while the write performance of RAID level 5 architecture is one-fourth of that of RAID level 0 architecture especially for the small- write problem. In this paper, we propose a high performance and high reliability optical disk array architecture with less redundancy, called Mirror Striped Disk Array (MSDA). It is a novel solution to a small write problem for disk array. MSDA stores the original data in two ways, one in a single optical disk and the other in a plurality of optical disks in the way of RAID level 0. The redundancy of whole system is less than RAID level 1 architecture but with the same reliability as RAID level 5. As the performance of RAID level 0 part of optical storage system is much higher than that of RAID level 5 in ordinary disk array, thus it avoids the write performance loss when using Mirror Striped Disk Array architecture. Because it omits the parity generation procedure when writing the new data, thus the overall performance of Mirror Striped Disk Array is the same as that of RAID level 0 architecture. Using this architecture, we can achieve the high reliability and high performance optical storage system without adding any extra redundancy and without losing any performance compared with RAID level 0 architecture but with the reliability much higher than that of RAID level 5.

Techniques and devices using whispering gallery mode (WGM) optical resonators, where the optical materials of the WGM resonators exhibit an electro-optical effect to perform optical modulation. Examples of actively mode-locked lasers and other devices are described.

We present a temporally-stable active mount to compensate for manufacturing-induced deformations of reflective optical components. In this paper, we introduce the design of the active mount, and its evaluation results for two sample mirrors: a quarter mirror of 115 × 105 × 9 mm3, and a full mirror of 228 × 210 × 9 mm3. The quarter mirror with 20 actuators shows a best wavefront error rms of 10 nm. Its installation position depending deformations are addressed by long-time measurements over 14 weeks indicating no significance of the orientation. Size-induced differences of the mount are studied by a full mirror with 80 manual actuators arranged in the same actuator pattern as the quarter mirror. This sample shows a wavefront error rms of (27±2) nm over a measurement period of 46 days. We conclude that the developed mount is suitable to compensate for manufacturing-induced deformations of large reflective optics, and likely to be included in the overall systems alignment procedure. PMID:27410369

Delivering high performance integrated optical components at low cost is critical to the continuing recovery and growth of the optical communications industry. In today's market, network equipment vendors need to provide their customers with new solutions that reduce operating expenses and enable new revenue generating IP services. They must depend on the availability of highly integrated optical modules exhibiting high performance, small package size, low power consumption, and most importantly, low cost. The cost of typical optical system hardware is dominated by linecards that are in turn cost-dominated by transmitters and receivers or transceivers and transponders. Cost effective packaging of optical components in these small size modules is becoming the biggest challenge to be addressed. For many traditional component suppliers in our industry, the combination of small size, high performance, and low cost appears to be in conflict and not feasible with conventional product design concepts and labor intensive manual assembly and test. With the advent of photonic integration, there are a variety of materials, optics, substrates, active/passive devices, and mechanical/RF piece parts to manage in manufacturing to achieve high performance at low cost. The use of automation has been demonstrated to surpass manual operation in cost (even with very low labor cost) as well as product uniformity and quality. In this paper, we will discuss the value of using an automated packaging platform.for the assembly and test of high performance active components, such as 2.5Gb/s and 10 Gb/s sources and receivers. Low cost, high performance manufacturing can best be achieved by leveraging a flexible packaging platform to address a multitude of laser and detector devices, integration of electronics and handle various package bodies and fiber configurations. This paper describes the operation and results of working robotic assemblers in the manufacture of a Laser Optical Subassembly

Vacancy-related centres in silicon carbide are attracting growing attention because of their appealing optical and spin properties. These atomic-scale defects can be created using electron or neutron irradiation; however, their precise engineering has not been demonstrated yet. Here, silicon vacancies are generated in a nuclear reactor and their density is controlled over eight orders of magnitude within an accuracy down to a single vacancy level. An isolated silicon vacancy serves as a near-infrared photostable single-photon emitter, operating even at room temperature. The vacancy spins can be manipulated using an optically detected magnetic resonance technique, and we determine the transition rates and absorption cross-section, describing the intensity-dependent photophysics of these emitters. The on-demand engineering of opticallyactive spins in technologically friendly materials is a crucial step toward implementation of both maser amplifiers, requiring high-density spin ensembles, and qubits based on single spins. PMID:26151881

The Smart X-Ray Optics (SXO) project comprises a U.K.-based consortium developing active/adaptive micro-structured optical arrays (MOAs). These devices are designed to focus X-rays using grazing incidence reflection through consecutive aligned arrays of microscopic channels etched in silicon. The silicon channels have been produced both by dry and wet etching, the latter providing smoother channel walls. Adaptability is achieved using piezoelectric actuators, which bend the device and therefore change its focal distance. We aim to achieve a 5 cm radius of curvature which can provide a suitable focal length using a tandem pair MOA configuration. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modelling has been carried out for the optimization of the MOA device design, consider different types of actuators (unimorph, bimorph and active fibre composites), and different Si/piezoelectric absolute and relative thicknesses. Prototype devices have been manufactured using a Viscous Plastic Processing Process for the piezoelectric actuators and dry etched silicon channels, bonded together using a low shrinkage adhesive. Characterisation techniques have been developed in order to evaluate the device performance in terms of the bending of the MOA channels produced by the actuators. This paper evaluates the progress to date on the actuation of the MOAs, comparing FEA modelling with the results obtained for different prototype structures.

We have grown In 0.54Ga 0.46As:Mn/MnAs granular paramagnetic-ferromagnetic hybrid structures by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. The MnAs clusters have a Curie temperature of about 320 K. We have studied the opticalactivity of individual ferromagnetic MnAs clusters embedded in the paramagnetic In 0.54Ga 0.46As:Mn matrix at room temperature by far-field depolarization measurements. A scanning near-field optical microscopy set-up in constant height mode ( ≈100 nm above the sample surface) was used to achieve a high spatial resolution. Individual MnAs clusters rotate the linear polarization of the incoming light by almost 2∘ in this reflection geometry. This opticalactivity was analyzed in terms of birefringence and polar Kerr effect and correlated with the structural and magnetic properties of the MnAs clusters as determined by ferromagnetic resonance measurements. The opticalactivity of the MnAs clusters turns out to be dominated by linear birefringence caused by the uniaxial symmetry of the hexagonal crystal structure of MnAs. The polar Kerr effect plays a minor role in this experiment.

We present a new method of calibrating adaptive optics systems that greatly reduces the required calibration time or, equivalently, improves the signal-to-noise ratio. The method uses an optimized actuation scheme with Hadamard patterns and does not scale with the number of actuators for a given noise level in the wave-front sensor channels. It is therefore highly desirable for high-order systems and/or adaptive secondary systems on a telescope without a Gregorian focal plane. In the latter case, the measurement noise is increased by the effects of the turbulent atmosphere when one is calibrating on a natural guide star.

We present a new method of calibrating adaptive optics systems that greatly reduces the required calibration time or, equivalently, improves the signal-to-noise ratio. The method uses an optimized actuation scheme with Hadamard patterns and does not scale with the number of actuators for a given noise level in the wavefront sensor channels. It is therefore highly desirable for high-order systems and/or adaptive secondary systems on a telescope without a Gregorian focal plane. In the latter case, the measurement noise is increased by the effects of the turbulent atmosphere when one is calibrating on a natural guide star. PMID:15191182

This research project involves the synthesis and characterization of organic materials having powerful nonlinear optical (NLO) properties and the growth of highly ordered crystals and monomolecular films of these materials. Research in four areas is discussed: theoretical design of new materials, characterization of NLO materials, synthesis of new materials and development of coupling procedures for forming layered films, and improvement of the techniques for vapor phase and solution phase growth of high quality organic crystals. Knowledge gained from these experiments will form the basis for experiments in the growth of these crystals.

Using the principles and techniques of nonimaging optics, solar concentrations that approach the theoretical maximum can be achieved. This has applications in solar energy collection wherever concentration is desired. In this paper, we survey recent progress in attaining and using high and ultrahigh solar fluxes. We review a number of potential applications for highly concentrated solar energy and the current status of the associated technology. By making possible new and unique applications for intense solar flux, these techniques have opened a whole new frontier for research and development of potentially economic uses of solar energy.

Deformable mirrors are increasingly used in astronomy. However, they still are limited in stroke for active correction of high-amplitude optical aberrations. Magnetic liquid deformable mirrors (MLDMs) are a new technology that has the advantages of high-amplitude deformations and low costs. In this paper, we demonstrate extremely high strokes and interactuator strokes achievable by MLDMs which can be used in astronomical instrumentation. In particular, we consider the use of such a mirror to suggest an interesting application for the next generation of large telescopes. We present a prototype 91 actuator deformable mirror made of a magnetic liquid (ferrofluid). This mirror uses a technique that linearizes the response of such mirrors by superimposing a large and uniform magnetic field on the magnetic field produced by an array of small coils. We discuss experimental results that illustrate the performance of MLDMs. A most interesting application of MLDMs comes from the fact they could be used to correct the aberrations of large and lower optical quality primary mirrors held by simple support systems. We estimate basic parameters of the needed MLDMs, obtaining reasonable values.

The technical embodiment of the Huygens-Fresnel principle, an optical phased array (OPA) is an arrangement of optical emitters with relative phases controlled to create a desired beam profile after propagation. One important application of an OPA is coherent beam combining (CBC), which can be used to create beams of higher power than is possible with a single laser source, especially for narrow linewidth sources. Here we present an all-fiber architecture that stabilizes the relative output phase by inferring the relative path length differences between lasers using the small fraction of light that is back-reflected into the fiber at the OPA's glass-air interface, without the need for any external sampling optics. This architecture is compatible with high power continuous wave laser sources (e.g., fiber amplifiers) up to 100 W per channel. The high-power compatible internally sensed OPA was implemented experimentally using commercial 15 W fiber amplifiers, demonstrating an output RMS phase stability of λ/194, and the ability to steer the beam at up to 10 kHz. PMID:27410363

High-power, single-mode, double-heterojunction AlGaAs diode lasers are being developed to meet source requirements for both fiber optic local area network and free space communications systems. An individual device, based on the channeled-substrate-planar (CSP) structure, has yielded single spatial and longitudinal mode outputs of up to 90 mW CW, and has maintained a single spatial mode to 150 mW CW. Phase-locked arrays of closely spaced index-guided lasers have been designed and fabricated with the aim of multiplying the outputs of the individual devices to even higher power levels in a stable, single-lobe, anastigmatic beam. The optical modes of the lasers in such arrays can couple together in such a way that they appear to be emanating from a single source, and can therefore be efficiently coupled into optical communications systems. This paper will review the state of high-power laser technology and discuss the communication system implications of these devices.

The adverse biological effects of continuous exposure to cobalt and chromium have been well defined. In the past, this toxicity was largely an industrial issue concerning workers exposed in occupational setting. Nevertheless, recent reports have described a specific toxicity mediated by the high levels of cobalt and chromium released by metallic prostheses, particularly in patients who had received hip implants. Clinical symptoms, including blindness, deafness and peripheral neuropathy, suggest a specific neurotropism. However, little is known about the neuropathological basis of this process, and experimental evidence is still lacking. We have investigated this issue in an experimental setting using New Zealand White rabbits treated with repeated intravenous injections of cobalt and chromium, alone or in combination. No evident clinical or pathological alterations were associated after chromium administration alone, despite its high levels in blood and tissue while cobalt-chromium and cobalt-treated rabbits showed clinical signs indicative of auditory and optic system toxicity. On histopathological examination, the animals showed severe retinal and cochlear ganglion cell depletion along with optic nerve damage and loss of sensory cochlear hair cells. Interestingly, the severity of the alterations was related to dosages and time of exposure. These data confirmed our previous observation of severe auditory and optic nerve toxicity in patients exposed to an abnormal release of cobalt and chromium from damaged hip prostheses. Moreover, we have identified the major element mediating neurotoxicity to be cobalt, although the molecular mechanisms mediating this toxicity still have to be defined. PMID:23069009

We develop an approach describing nonlinear-optical processes in the strong-field domain characterized by the nonperturbative field-with-matter interaction. The polarization of an isolated atom in the external field calculated via the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation agrees with our analytical findings. For the practically important case of one strong laser field and several weaker fields, we derive and analytically solve propagation equations describing high-order (HO) wave mixing, HO parametric amplification, and HO stimulated scattering. These processes provide a way of efficient coherent xuv generation. Some properties of HO processes are new in nonlinear optics: essentially complex values of the coefficients in the propagation equations, the superexponential (hyperbolic) growing solutions, etc. Finally, we suggest conditions for the practical realization of these processes and discuss published numerical and experimental results where such processes could have been observed.

An advanced fiber optic current sensor (FOCS) is proposed based on recirculating fiber loop architecture for significantly enhancing the current sensitivity. The recirculating loop is constructed by a 2X2 optical switch and the standard single mode fiber (SSMF) is used as the sensing head. The proposed FOCS is coupler-free with low insertion loss which results in a significantly improved current sensitivity. We experimentally obtained a sensitivity of 11.5 degrees/A for 1-Km SSMF FOCS and a sensitivity of 21.2 degrees/A for 500-m SSMF FOCS, both of which have been enhanced by more than ten times. The flexible switch control of recirculating can support the FOCS to work for different current scenarios with the same system and thus reconfigurable operation of the FOCS has been achieved. The significantly enhanced high sensitivity with reconfigurable operation capability makes the proposed FOCS a promising method for practical applications. PMID:27505765

The spatial resolution of retinal images is limited by the presence of static and time-varying aberrations present within the eye. An updated High Resolution Adaptive Optics Fundus Imager (HRAOFI) has been built based on the development from the first prototype unit. This entirely new unit was designed and fabricated to increase opto-mechanical integration and ease-of-use through a new user interface. Improved camera systems for the Shack-Hartmann sensor and for the scene image were implemented to enhance the image quality and the frequency of the Adaptive Optics (AO) control loop. An optimized illumination system that uses specific wavelength bands was applied to increase the specificity of the images. Sample images of clinical trials of retinas, taken with and without the system, are shown. Data on the performance of this system will be presented, demonstrating the ability to calculate near diffraction-limited images.

We have developed a magnetron sputter coating method to continuously coat silica optical fibers with a dual layer coating of Inconel 625 alloy and platinum. The coating process is performed on-line as the fiber is drawn to minimize the rapid strength degradation of the silica due to attack by moisture in the air. Because of the modular design of the sputter equipment, the process is well suited for the deposition of a wide variety of metals and is readily adapted for scale-up. Multimode optical fibers were produced with coatings up to 0.5 microns in thickness consisting of an adhesion layer of Inconel and an outer layer of platinum. The coatings are adherent and remain mechanically intact after thermal cycling between room temperature and 2000 degree(s)F in vacuum. Approximate tensile strengths of 145 to 290 Kpse have been measured. These attributes make this sputter coated fiber a promising candidate for use in high temperature environments.

The use of optics as an alternative method for achieving very high speed (10 Gb/s > bit rate > 500 Mb/s) electrical interconnects is the subject of this paper. Optical interconnect media considered include plastic channel waveguides, glass waveguides, fibers, and free-space interconnects. Typical interconnection distances considered are inches or less. The problems of cou-pling and interconnecting and their overall effect on system power budgets are also discussed. As a means of quantifying the results, link budgets for a 565 Mb/s, a 2.3 Gb/s, and a 4.6 Gb/s interconnect scenario are made. Multipoint as well as single-point-to-single-point situations are considered.

The silicon trackers of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN (Geneva) use optical links for data transmission. An upgrade of the trackers is planned for the Super LHC (SLHC), an upgraded LHC with ten times higher luminosity. We investigate the radiation-hardness of various components for possible application in the data transmission upgrade. We study the radiation-hardness of VCSELs (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) and GaAs and silicon PINs from various sources using 24 GeV/c protons at CERN. The optical power of VCSEL arrays decreases significantly after the irradiation but can be partially annealed with high drive currents. The responsivities of the PIN diodes also decrease significantly after irradiation, especially for the GaAs devices. We have designed the ASICs for the opto-link applications and find that the degradation with radiation is acceptable.

This project examined the possibility of extending the recently demonstrated radoptic detection approach to gamma imaging. Model simulations of the light scattering process predicted that expected signal levels were small and likely below the detection limit of large area, room-temperature detectors. A series of experiments using pulsed x-ray excitation, modulated gamma excitation and optical pump-probe methods confirmed those theoretical predictions. At present the technique does not appear to provide a viable approach to volumetric radiation detection; however, in principal, orders of magnitude improvement in the SNR can result by using designer materials to concentrate and localize the radiation-absorption induced charge, simultaneously confining the optical mode to increase 'fill' factor and overlap of the probe beam with the affected regions, and employing high speed gated imaging detectors to measure the scattered signal.

Optical links will be an integral part of future LHC experiments at various scales from coupled sensors to off-detector communication. We are investigating CW lasers and light modulators as an alternative to VCSELs. Light modulators are small, use less power, have high bandwidth, are reliable, have low bit error rates and are very rad-hard. We present the quality of the links at 10Gbps and the results of radiation hardness measurements for the modulators built based on LiNbO3, InP, and Si. Also we present results on modulator-based free space data links, steered by MEMS mirrors and optical feedback paths for the control loop.

Diamond has a cubic lattice structure and a very wide bandgap, which suggests that this material should exhibit excellent optical properties at wavelengths ranging from the far infrared to the near ultraviolet. Since diamond also exhibits unusually favorable properties in terms of mechanical strength, chemical stability, and thermal conductivity, there is considerable interest in using diamond for optics applications that involve adverse environmental conditions. The purpose of this paper is to provide an updated assessment of some of the issues that arise in connection with the use of chemically vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond for applications such as missile system windows or domes, and for designing components that must function in the high photon flux of high-power lasers. Specifically, since the flight velocities of future air-intercept missiles are projected to far exceed those of contemporary systems, this raises the issue of how to assess the capability of window/dome material candidates in an aero-thermal shock environment. In this context, it can be demonstrated that, compared to other candidate materials, diamond windows promise to deliver superior performances and should be able to meet any foreseeable requirement. Operation at high speeds, however, imposes limits on the tolerable window emittance to prevent blinding the seeker, and this issue leads to the conclusion that diamond is intrinsically unsuitable for operation in the 3- to 5-{micro}m spectral band. Concerning high-energy lasers, note that operational systems always include an optical train consisting of mirrors and windows, which must be capable of transporting and directing the beam without seriously degrading the nominal performance of the laser. In this regard, mirror-faceplate material candidates can be ranked on the basis of appropriate figures of merit, which demonstrate that diamond is of particular promise for high-heat-load applications that require efficient cooling.

The rapid advance of technology enables a large number of processing cores to be integrated into a single chip which is called a Chip Multiprocessor (CMP) or a Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) design. The on-chip interconnection network, which is the communication infrastructure for these processing cores, plays a central role in a many-core system. With the continuously increasing complexity of many-core systems, traditional metallic wired electronic networks-on-chip (NoC) became a bottleneck because of the unbearable latency in data transmission and extremely high energy consumption on chip. Optical networks-on-chip (ONoC) has been proposed as a promising alternative paradigm for electronic NoC with the benefits of optical signaling communication such as extremely high bandwidth, negligible latency, and low power consumption. This dissertation focus on the design of high-performance and scalable ONoC architectures and the contributions are highlighted as follow: 1. A micro-ring resonator (MRR)-based Generic Wavelength-routed Optical Router (GWOR) is proposed. A method for developing any sized GWOR is introduced. GWOR is a scalable non-blocking ONoC architecture with simple structure, low cost and high power efficiency compared to existing ONoC designs. 2. To expand the bandwidth and improve the fault tolerance of the GWOR, a redundant GWOR architecture is designed by cascading different type of GWORs into one network. 3. The redundant GWOR built with MRR-based comb switches is proposed. Comb switches can expand the bandwidth while keep the topology of GWOR unchanged by replacing the general MRRs with comb switches. 4. A butterfly fat tree (BFT)-based hybrid optoelectronic NoC (HONoC) architecture is developed in which GWORs are used for global communication and electronic routers are used for local communication. The proposed HONoC uses less numbers of electronic routers and links than its counterpart of electronic BFT-based NoC. It takes the advantages of

Multiphoton tomography with the clinical femtosecond laser system DermaInspect has become an important non-invasive high resolution imaging tool for skin research, melanoma detection, and in situ drug monitoring of pharmaceutical and cosmetical components. The detection of endogenous fluorophores and SHG active biostructures such as mitochondrial NAD(P)H, melanin in melancytes and basal cells, as well as the extracellular matrix components elastin and collagen is achieved with submicron resolution when using high NA focusing optics. So far, the working distance was limited to 200 Âµm. In addition, the focusing optics was large in diameter (2-3 cm). Here we report for the first time on clinical deep-tissue high-resolution imaging with a novel high NA rigid GRIN microendoscope which extends the potential of clinical multiphoton tomography significantly. We performed the very first clinical in vivo measurements with two-photon endoscopes and studied wounds of patients with ulcus cruris.

In 1999, NASA's New Millennium Program called for proposals to validate new technology in high-earth orbit for the Earth Observing-3 (NMP EO3) mission to fly in 2003. In response, we proposed to test a large aperture, activeoptics telescope in geosynchronous orbit. This would flight-qualify new technologies for both Earth and Space science: 1) a future instrument with LANDSAT image resolution and radiometric quality watching continuously from geosynchronous station, and 2) the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) for deep space imaging. Six enabling technologies were to be flight-qualified: 1) a 3-meter, lightweight segmented primary mirror, 2) mirror actuators and mechanisms, 3) a deformable mirror, 4) coarse phasing techniques, 5) phase retrieval for wavefront control during stellar viewing, and 6) phase diversity for wavefront control during Earth viewing. Three enhancing technologies were to be flight- validated: 1) mirror deployment and latching mechanisms, 2) an advanced microcontroller, and 3) GPS at GEO. In particular, two wavefront sensing algorithms, phase retrieval by JPL and phase diversity by ERIM International, were to sense optical system alignment and focus errors, and to correct them using high-precision mirror mechanisms. Active corrections based on Earth scenes are challenging because phase diversity images must be collected from extended, dynamically changing scenes. In addition, an Earth-facing telescope in GEO orbit is subject to a powerful diurnal thermal and radiometric cycle not experienced by deep-space astronomy. The Horizon proposal was a bare-bones design for a lightweight large-aperture, activeoptical system that is a practical blend of science requirements, emerging technologies, budget constraints, launch vehicle considerations, orbital mechanics, optical hardware, phase-determination algorithms, communication strategy, computational burdens, and first-rate cooperation among earth and space scientists, engineers and managers

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure the prefrontal activity in joint attention experience. 16 healthy adults participated in the experiment in which 42 optical channels were fixed over the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and a small anterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus (STG). Video stimuli were used to engender joint or non-joint attention experience in observers. Cortical hemodynamic response and functional connectivity were measured and averaged across all subjects for each stimulus condition. Our data showed the activation in joint attention located in the aPFC and DLPFC bilaterally, but dominantly in the left hemisphere. This observation, together with the previous findings on infants and children, provides a clear developmental scenario on the prefrontal activation associated with joint attention process. In the case of non-joint attention condition, only a small region of the right DLPFC was activated. Functional connectivity was observed to be enhanced, but differently in joint and non-joint attention condition. PMID:26417513

One powerful technique for diagnosing radio frequency interactions in the ionosphere is to use ground-based optical instrumentation. High-frequency (HF), heater-induced optical emission observations can be used to diagnose electron energies and distributions in the heated region, illuminate natural and/or artificially induced ionospheric irregularities, determine ExB plasma drifts, and measure quenching rates by neutral species. Optical emissions are caused by HF-accelerated electrons colliding with various atmospheric constituents, which in turn emit a photon. The most common emissions are 630.0 nm O(1D), 557.7 nm O(1S), and 427.8 nm N2+(1NG). Since fairly wide field-of-view imagers are typically deployed in airglow campaigns, it is not well-known what meter-scale features exist in the artificial airglow emissions. Telescopic imaging provides high resolution spatial coverage of ionospheric irregularities and goes hand in hand with other observing techniques such as GPS scintillation, radar, and ionosonde. Imaging can be used to verify the interpretation of data from these other instruments, and this in turn allows confidence in such measurements when airglow cannot be observed (high solar angle or cloud cover). Telescopic imaging of airglow is the only technique capable of simultaneously determining the properties of ionospheric irregularities at decameter resolution over a range of several kilometers. The HAARP telescopic imager consists of two cameras, a set of optics for each camera, and a robotic mount that supports and orients the system. The camera and optics systems are identical except for the camera lenses: one has a wide-angle lens (~19 degrees) and the other has a telescopic lens (~3 degrees). The telescopic imager has a resolution of ~20 m in the F layer and ~10 m in the E layer, which allows the observation of decameter- and kilometer-scale features. Telescopic data has been recorded at HAARP for several years and images will be presented showing

We describe the design and performance of large-aperture ({lt}30 cm {times} 30 cm) optical switches that have demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge, active switching of a high-energy ({lt}5 kJ) optical pulse in an inertial-confinement fusion laser. These optical switches, which consist of a plasma-electrode Pockels cell (PEPC) and a passive polarizer, permit the design of efficient, multipass laser amplifiers. In a PEPC, plasma discharges on the faces of a thin (1-cm) electro-optic crystal (KDP or KD{bold |}P) act as highly conductive and transparent electrodes. These plasma electrodes facilitate rapid ({lt}100 ns) and uniform charging of the crystal to the half-wave voltage and discharging back to 0 V. We discuss the operating principles, design, optical performance, and technical issues of a 32 cm {times} 32 cm prototype PEPC with both KDP and KD{bold |}P crystals, and a 37 cm {times} 37 cm PEPC with a KDP crystal for the Beamlet laser. This PEPC recently switched a 6-kJ, 3-ns pulse in a four-pass cavity.

Long-distance quantum communication through optical fibers is currently limited to a few hundreds of kilometres due to fiber losses. Quantum repeaters could extend this limit to continental distances. Most approaches to quantum repeaters require highly multimode quantum memories in order to reach high communication rates. The atomic frequency comb memory scheme can in principle achieve high temporal multimode storage, without sacrificing memory efficiency. However, previous demonstrations have been hampered by the difficulty of creating high-resolution atomic combs, which reduces the efficiency for multimode storage. In this article we present a comb preparation method that allows one to increase the multimode capacity for a fixed memory bandwidth. We apply the method to a 3+151Eu -doped Y2SiO5 crystal, in which we demonstrate storage of 100 modes for 51 μ s using the AFC echo scheme (a delay-line memory) and storage of 50 modes for 0.541 ms using the AFC spin-wave memory (an on-demand memory). We also briefly discuss the ultimate multimode limit imposed by the optical decoherence rate, for a fixed memory bandwidth.

High damage threshold, high thermal conductivity, and small thermo-optic coefficients make KTiOPO{sub 4} (KTP) an attractive material for use in a high average power Q-switch. However, electro-chromic damage and refractive index homogeneity have prevented the utilization of KTP in such a device in the past. This work shows that electro-chromic damage is effectively suppressed using capacitive coupling, and a KTP crystal can be Q-switched for 1.5 {times} 10{sup 9} shots without any detectable electro-chromic damage. In addition, KTP with the high uniformity and large aperture size needed for a KTP electro-optic Q-switch can be obtained from flux crystals grown at constant temperature. A thermally compensated, dual crystal KTP Q-switch, which successfully produced 50 mJ pulses with a pulse width of 8 ns (FWHM), has been constructed. In addition, in off-line testing the Q-switch showed less than 7% depolarization at an average power loading of 3.2 kW/cm{sup 2}.

In this work, AlGaAs/GaAs superlattice, with layers' sequence and compositions imitating the active and injector regions of a quantum cascade laser designed for emission in the terahertz spectral range, was investigated. Three independent absorption-like optical spectroscopy techniques were employed in order to study the band structure of the minibands formed within the conduction band. Photoreflectance measurements provided information about interband transitions in the investigated system. Common transmission spectra revealed, in the target range of intraband transitions, mainly a number of lines associated with the phonon-related processes, including two-phonon absorption. In contrast, differential transmittance realized by means of Fourier-transform spectroscopy was utilized to probe the confined states of the conduction band. The obtained energy separation between the second and third confined electron levels, expected to be predominantly contributing to the lasing, was found to be ~9 meV. The optical spectroscopy measurements were supported by numerical calculations performed in the effective mass approximation and XRD measurements for layers' width verification. The calculated energy spacings are in a good agreement with the experimental values.

A new method of fabricating long-range, planar arrays of discrete, submicron metal structures on glass or SiO2/Si surfaces has been developed without the use of resist masks or chemical etching. The approach combines microcontact printing and electroless plating for the controlled deposition of islands or lines of gold or silver. The metallic structures are varied in size, separation and shape by using a variety of commercial diffraction gratings to mold the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer stamps. An assortment of distinct geometrical patterns have been fabricated and imaged on a range of length scales using scanning probe, scanning electron, and optical microscopies. Additionally, the same chemical techniques can be used to pattern surfaces with biomolecules and ordered arrays of metal nanoshells. These arrays of metal nanostructures support surface plasmon propagation and also show plasmon-plasmon interactions dependent on the geometry of the metal features. These structures were used to investigate the effects of molecular functionalization on the excitation and propagation properties of the surface plasmons that are supported by this geometry. Distinct variations in the dispersion and energy gaps of surface plasmons on these structures due to chemical functionalization of the metal structures is observed. A second type of opticallyactive structure, rare-earth doped silica particles, has been synthesized using wet chemistry. The polydispersity of the particles can be controlled by changing the concentration of dopant salt. These particles may be useful for microlaser or display technologies.

A brief description is presented of an optical flameout detection system under development at NASA Langley's 8-Foot High Temperature Wind Tunnel. The system design, theory of operation, and performance are addressed. The system can respond quickly to sudden changes in combustor light intensity and is a reliable indicator of flame activity within the combustor. Deviations of the system could provide more detailed information on various aspects of the combustion process.

Rosemary Hill optical and EINSTEIN X-ray observations of a sample of 36 active galactic nuclei (AGN) were reduced and analyzed. Seventy-two X-ray observations of these sources were reduced, nineteen of which yielded spectral information. Of these spectral observations, significant hydrogen column densities above the galactic value were required for nine of the eleven sources which were observed more than once by EINSTEIN. Correlations between the X-ray and optical luminosities were investigated using the Jefferys method of least squares. This method allows for errors in both variables. The results indicate a strong correlation between the X-ray and optical luminosities for the entire sample. Division of the sample into groups with similar optical variability characteristics show that the less violently violent variable AGN are more highly correlated than the violently variable blazars. Infrared and radio observations were combined with the X-ray and optical observations of six AGN. These sources were modelled in terms of the synchrotron-self-Compton model. The turnover frequency falls between the infrared and radio data and reliable estimates of this parameter are difficult to estimate. Therefore the results were found as a function of the turnover frequency. Four sources required relativistic bulk motion or beaming. Multifrequency spectra made at different times for one individual source, 0235+164, required different amounts of beaming to satisfy the X-ray observations. Sizes of the emitting regions for the sources modelled ranged from 0.5 parsec to 1.0 parsec.

Activeoptics plays an important part in segmented mirrors of astronomy telescopes. A dispersed fringe sensor(DFS) using a broadband point source is an efficient method for cophasing and is also highly automated and robust. DFS can estimate the piston between segments only through the spectrum formed by the transmissive grating's dispersion and therefore can replace the edge sensors. So we build an system in our lab to experiment the DFS method. The whole control system of DFS is put forward, including control of displacement actuators and control of shifting the optical fiber. Control of displacement actuators consists in industry computer, HY-6120 I/O card, six stepper motor and other parts. Some theoretical analysis and experiment tests reveal that the actuator could be controlled to 5nm and without backlash by this control strategy. The optical fiber could be shifted out of optical path or shifted in part or whole of optical path so that the spectrum formed by the transmissive grating's dispersion could alter. When six actuators are moving, the piston is changing, and the spectrum is also moving and altering. And the whole control of DFS system is constructed now and seems well. Further test and experiment will be carry out.

The quality of the spectrometer affects the sensitivity fall-off, axial resolution, and depth scan range, therefore overall performance of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging. Chromatic aberration, optical resolution, and detector array resolution are the key design consideration for high-quality OCT spectrometer. Traditionally refractive optics spectrometer is used in SD-OCT. In the present work, the optical design of the reflective optics spectrometer and of the refractive optics spectrometers is reported for high-speed line field optical coherence tomography imaging. The performance of the spectrometers was compared by using the ZEMAX optical design software. The ZEMAX optical modeling analysis shows that the reflective optics spectrometer provides better performance by comparison with the refractive optics spectrometer.

We report on the performance characterization and issues associated with using Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) over a highly turbulent (C{sub n}{sup 2} > 10{sup -12}) 1.3 km air-optic lasercom links. Commercial GigE hardware is a cost-effective and scalable physical layer standard that can be applied to air-optic communications. We demonstrate a simple GigE hardware interface to a singlemode fiber-coupled, 1550 nm, WDM air-optic transceiver. TCPAP serves as a robust and universal foundation protocol that has some tolerance of data loss due to atmospheric fading. Challenges include establishing and maintaining a connection with acceptable throughput under poor propagation conditions. The most useful link performance diagnostic is shown to be scintillation index, where a value of 0.2 is the maximum permissible for adequate GigE throughput. Maximum GigE throughput observed was 49.7% of that obtained with a fiber jumper when scintillation index is 0.1. Shortcomings in conventional measurements such as bit error rate are apparent. Prospects for forward mor correction and other link enhancements will be discussed.

This guide, for use at the junior high level, is aimed at helping our youth become more knowledgeable concerning the environment and associated problems, thus making them aware of how to solve these problems and motivating them to work toward their solution. Among the subjects discussed are art in nature, erosion, body pollution, water pollution,…

We describe an all-optical strategy for simultaneously manipulating and recording the activity of multiple neurons with cellular resolution in vivo. Concurrent two-photon optogenetic activation and calcium imaging is enabled by coexpression of a red-shifted opsin and a genetically encoded calcium indicator. A spatial light modulator allows tens of user-selected neurons to be targeted for spatiotemporally precise optogenetic activation, while simultaneous fast calcium imaging provides high-resolution network-wide readout of the manipulation with negligible optical crosstalk. Proof-of-principle experiments in mouse barrel cortex demonstrate interrogation of the same neuronal population during different behavioral states, and targeting of neuronal ensembles based on their functional signature. This approach extends the optogenetic toolkit beyond the specificity obtained with genetic or viral approaches, enabling high-throughput, flexible and long-term optical interrogation of functionally defined neural circuits with single-cell and single-spike resolution in the mammalian brain in vivo. PMID:25532138

The construction of strained carbon skeletons by ring-closing olefin metathesis (RCM) was investigated. With well-designed diene 4, RCM was found to be applicable to the formation of a highly strained inside-outside bicyclo[4.4.1]undecane skeleton of ingenol, a bioactive diterpenoid, and formal total synthesis of opticallyactive ingenol (1) was achieved. The key features of this synthesis are construction of an A-ring by spirocyclization of the ketone with an allylic chloride unit, 26, and ring closure of a B-ring by olefin metathesis. Starting from Funk's keto ester 6, the key intermediate aldehyde 9 in Winkler's total synthesis was synthesized in eight steps in 12.5% overall yield. This strategy of direct cyclization of a strained inside-outside skeleton provided the first easy access to opticallyactive ingenol. PMID:15527254

1. (+)-Mollisacacidin [(+)-3′,4′,7-trihydroxy-2,3-trans-flavan-3,4-trans- diol] is converted by autoclaving into the opticallyactive free phenolic 2,3-trans-3-4-cis (12% yield), 2,3-cis-3,4-trans (11%) and 2,3-cis-3,4-cis (2·8%) diastereoisomers through epimerization at C-2 and C-4. 2. The relative configurations of the epimeric forms were determined by nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectrometry and paper ionophoresis in comparison with synthetic reference compounds, and was confirmed by chemical interconversions. 3. From this a scheme of epimerization is inferred and their absolute configurations are assigned as (2R:3S:4S), (2S:3S:4R) and (2S:3S:4S) respectively from the known absolute configuration (2R:3S:4R) of (+)-mollisacacidin. PMID:14348209

We design, fabricate, and experimentally demonstrate an opticallyactive metasurface of λ/50 thickness that rotates linearly polarized light by 45° over a broadband wavelength range in the near IR region. The rotation is achieved through the use of a planar array of plasmonic nanoantennas, which generates a fixed phase-shift between the left circular polarized and right circular polarized components of the incident light. Our approach is built on a new supercell metasurface design methodology: by judiciously designing the location and orientation of individual antennas in the structural supercells, we achieve an effective chiral metasurface through a collective operation of nonchiral antennas. This approach simplifies the overall structure when compared to designs with chiral antennas and also enables a chiral effect which quantitatively depends solely on the supercell geometry. This allows for greater tolerance against fabrication and temperature effects. PMID:25051158

In this paper we present the development of a compact, thermo-optically stable and vibration and mechanical shock resistant mounting technique by soldering of optical components. Based on this technique a new generation of laser sources for aerospace applications is designed. In these laser systems solder technique replaces the glued and bolted connections between optical component, mount and base plate. Alignment precision in the arc second range and realization of long term stability of every single part in the laser system is the main challenge. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT a soldering and mounting technique has been developed for high precision packaging. The specified environmental boundary conditions (e.g. a temperature range of -40 °C to +50 °C) and the required degrees of freedom for the alignment of the components have been taken into account for this technique. In general the advantage of soldering compared to gluing is that there is no outgassing. In addition no flux is needed in our special process. The joining process allows multiple alignments by remelting the solder. The alignment is done in the liquid phase of the solder by a 6 axis manipulator with a step width in the nm range and a tilt in the arc second range. In a next step the optical components have to pass the environmental tests. The total misalignment of the component to its adapter after the thermal cycle tests is less than 10 arc seconds. The mechanical stability tests regarding shear, vibration and shock behavior are well within the requirements.

High resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) is capable of providing detailed tissue microstructures that are critical for disease diagnosis, yet its sensitivity is usually degraded since the system key components are typically not working at their respective center wavelengths. We developed a novel imaging system that achieves enhanced sensitivity without axial resolution degradation by the use of a spectrally encoded extended source (SEES) technique; it allows larger sample power without exceeding the maximum permissible exposure (MPE). In this study, we demonstrate a high-resolution extended source (HRES) OCT system, which is capable of providing a transverse resolution of 4.4 µm and an axial resolution of 2.1 µm in air with the SEES technique. We first theoretically show a sensitivity advantage of 6-dB of the HRES-OCT over that of its point source counterpart using numerical simulations, and then experimentally validate the applicability of the SEES technique to high-resolution OCT (HR-OCT) by comparing the HRES-OCT with an equivalent point-source system. In the HRES-OCT system, a dispersive prism was placed in the infinity space of the sample arm optics to spectrally extend the visual angle (angular subtense) of the light source to 10.3 mrad. This extended source allowed ~4 times larger MPE than its point source counterpart, which results in an enhancement of ~6 dB in sensitivity. Specifically, to solve the unbalanced dispersion between the sample and the reference arm optics, we proposed easy and efficient methods for system calibration and dispersion correction, respectively. With a maximum scanning speed reaching up to 60K A-lines/s, we further conducted imaging experiments with HRES-OCT using the human fingertip in vivo and the swine eye tissues ex vivo. Results demonstrate that the HRES-OCT is able to achieve significantly larger penetration depth than its conventional point source OCT counterpart. PMID:26480153

Internet Of Things (IOT) drives a significant increase in the extent and type of sensing technology and equipment. Sensors, instrumentation, control electronics, data logging and transmission units comprising such sensing systems will all require to be powered. Conventionally, electrical powering is supplied by batteries or/and electric power cables. The power supply by batteries usually has a limited lifetime, while the electric power cables are susceptible to electromagnetic interference. In fact, the electromagnetic interference is the key issue limiting the power supply in the strong electromagnetic radiation area and other extreme environments. The novel alternative method of power supply is power over fiber (PoF) technique. As fibers are used as power supply lines instead, the delivery of the power is inherently immune to electromagnetic radiation, and avoids cumbersome shielding of power lines. Such a safer power supply mode would be a promising candidate for applications in IOT. In this work, we built up optically powered active sensing system, supplying uninterrupted power for the remote active sensors and communication modules. Also, we proposed a novel maximum power point tracking technique for photovoltaic power convertors. In our system, the actual output efficiency greater than 40% within 1W laser power. After 1km fiber transmission and opto-electric power conversion, a stable electric power of 210mW was obtained, which is sufficient for operating an active sensing system.

The Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Safeguards and Seals Evaluation Program is evaluating new fiber opticactive seal technologies for use at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. The goal of the program is to investigate active seal technologies that can monitor secured containers storing special nuclear materials (SNM) within DOE vaults. Specifically investigated were active seal technologies that can be used as tamper-indicating devices to monitor secured containers within vaults while personnel remain outside the vault area. Such a system would allow minimal access into vaults while ensuring container content accountability. The purpose of this report is to discuss tamper-indicating devices that were evaluated for possible DOE use. While previous seal evaluations (Phase I and II) considered overall facility applications, this discussion focuses specifically on their use in vault storage situations. The report will highlight general background information, specifications and requirements, and test procedures. Also discussed are the systems available from four manufacturers: Interactive Technologies, Inc., Fiber SenSys, Inc., Inovonics, Inc., and Valve Security Systems.

The work involves research leading to an optically triggered switch for a high power laser pulse. The switch uses a semiconductor heterostructure whose optical properties are modified by a low power laser trigger such as a laser diode. Potential applications include optical control of pulsed power systems, control of medical lasers and implementation of security features in optical warhead architectures.

An optical power splitter for the distribution of high-power light energy has a plurality of prisms arranged about a central axis to form a central channel. The input faces of the prisms are in a common plane which is substantially perpendicular to the central axis. A beam of light which is substantially coaxial to the central axis is incident on the prisms and at least partially strikes a surface area of each prism input face. The incident beam also partially passes through the central channel.

An optical power splitter for the distribution of high-power light energy has a plurality of prisms arranged about a central axis to form a central channel. The input faces of the prisms are in a common plane which is substantially perpendicular to the central axis. A beam of light which is substantially coaxial to the central axis is incident on the prisms and at least partially strikes a surface area of each prism input face. The incident beam also partially passes through the central channel. 5 figs.

We propose a one-point to multipoint distributed time transfer through passive optical networks using a time division multiple access (TDMA) based two-way time transfer. The clock at each clock user node is, in turn, compared with the high-precision reference clock at a master node by a two-way time transfer during assigned subperiods. The corresponding TDMA control protocol and time transfer units for the proposed scheme are designed and implemented. A 1×8 experimental system with a 20 km single-mode fiber in each subpath is demonstrated. The results show that a standard deviation of <60 ps can be reached in each comparison subperiod.

We present a platform for producing long plasma channels suitable for guiding lasers over several centimeters by applying magnetic fields to limit the radial heat flux from a preforming laser beam. The resulting density gradient will be used as an optical plasma waveguide. The plasma conditions have been chosen to be consistent with the requirements for laser wakefield acceleration where multi-GeV electrons are predicted. A detailed description of the system used to produce the high (5 T) magnetic fields and initial results that show a 5 cm long plasma column are discussed. PMID:19044692

Optical emission spectroscopy is employed to correlate BN insulator erosion with high-power operation of the NASA 300M Hall-effect thruster. Actinometry leveraging excited xenon states is used to normalize the emission spectra of ground state boron as a function of thruster operating condition. Trends in the strength of the boron signal are correlated with thruster power, discharge voltage, discharge current and magnetic field strength. The boron signals are shown to trend with discharge current and show weak dependence on discharge voltage. The trends are consistent with data previously collected on the NASA 300M and NASA 457M thrusters but are different from conventional wisdom.

The Advanced Telecommunications Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in collaboration with Pacific Bell, is developing an experimental high speed, four wavelength, protocol independent optical link for evaluating wide area networking interconnection schemes and the use of fiber amplifiers. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as a super-user, supercomputer, and super-application site, is anticipating the future bandwidth and protocol requirements to connect to other such sites as well as to connect to remote sited control centers and experiments. In this paper we discuss our vision of the future of Wide Area Networking and describe the plans for the wavelength division multiplexed link between Livermore and the University of California at Berkeley.

High-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) scanners have recently been developed. We assessed micromorphological HD-OCT correlates of benign naevi (BN) and malignant melanoma (MM). 28 BN and 20 MM were studied using HD-OCT and histology. Epidermal honeycomb/cobblestone pattern, regular junctional cell nests, and edged papillae are more often observed in BN, whereas fusion of rete ridges, pagetoid cells and junctional and/or dermal nests with atypical cells are more frequently seen in MM. A high overlap of HD-OCT features in BN and MM was observed and in 20% of MM we did not find evidence for malignancy in OCT images at all. Using HD-OCT it is possible to visualize architectural and cellular alterations of melanocytic skin lesions. The overlap of HD-OCT features seen in BN and MM and the absence of suspicious HD-OCT features in some MM represents an important limitation of HD-OCT affecting the sensitivity of HD-OCT in diagnosing MM. High-definition optical coherence tomography and the corresponding vertically sectioned histology of a compound naevus. PMID:25237005

A simple monitor has been built to measure the profile of the high power beam (800 kW) delivered by the CEBAF accelerator at Jefferson Lab. The monitor uses the optical part of the forward transition radiation emitted from a thin carbon foil. The small beam size to be measured, about 100 {mu}m, is challenging not only for the power density involved but also for the resolution the instrument must achieve. An important part of the beam instrumentation community believes the radiation being emitted into a cone of characteristic angle 1/{gamma} is originated from a region of transverse dimension roughly {lambda}{gamma}; thus the apparent size of the source of transition radiation would become very large for highly relativistic particles. This monitor measures 100 {mu}m beam sizes that are much smaller than the 3.2 mm {lambda}{gamma} limit; it confirms the statement of Rule and Fiorito that optical transition radiation can be used to image small beams at high energy. The present paper describes the instrument and its performance. The authors tested the foil in, up to 180 {mu}A of CW beam without causing noticeable beam loss, even at 800 MeV, the lowest CEBAF energy.

The most expensive aspects in producing high quality miniature optical systems are the component costs and long assembly process. A new approach for fabricating these systems that reduces both aspects through the implementation of self-aligning LIGA (German acronym for lithographie, galvanoformung, abformung, or x-ray lithography, electroplating, and molding) optomechanics with high volume plastic injection molded and off-the-shelf glass optics is presented. This zero alignment strategy has been incorporated into a miniature high numerical aperture (NA = 1.0W) microscope objective for a fiber confocal reflectance microscope. Tight alignment tolerances of less than 10 μm are maintained for all components that reside inside of a small 9 gauge diameter hypodermic tubing. A prototype system has been tested using the slanted edge modulation transfer function technique and demonstrated to have a Strehl ratio of 0.71. This universal technology is now being developed for smaller, needle-sized imaging systems and other portable point-of-care diagnostic instruments. PMID:19543344

Athermalization of focusing objectives is a common technique for optimizing imaging systems in the infrared where thermal effects are a major concern. The athermalization is generally done within the spectrum of interest and not generally applied to a single wavelength. The predominate glass used with high power infrared lasers in the near infrared of one micron, such as Nd:YAG and fiber lasers, is fused silica which has excellent thermal properties. All glasses, however, have a temperature coefficient of index of refraction (dn/dT) where as the glass heats up its index of refraction changes. Most glasses, fused silica included, have a positive dn/dT. A positive dn/dT will cause the focal length of the lens to decrease with a temperature rise. Many of the fluoride glasses, like CaF2, BaF2, LiF2, etc. have a negative dn/dT. By applying athermalization techniques of glass selection and optical design, the thermal lensing in a laser objective of a high power laser system can be substantially mitigated. We describe a passive method for minimizing thermal lensing of high power laser optics.

Packaging of integrated optoelectronic devices (e.g., laser diode arrays and OEICs) is motivated by potential cost savings and the increased functionality of more highly integrated devices. To date, attempts to package integrated optoelectronic devices with arrays of single- mode fibers have tended to exhibit highoptical losses. We have developed a single-mode array packaging process based on the use of an intermediate silica-on-silicon planar optical waveguides (POWs) assembly to which optical fibers are attached using V-grooves. By lensing the POWs, we have achieved coupling efficiencies of greater than 50%. The photolithographic registration of the POWs allows a large (greater than or equal to 8) array of POWs with attached fibers to be aligned to an array of optoelectronic devices in a single active alignment procedure. This single active alignment step is well-suited to automation, and our approach is thus well-suited to achieving low cost in a manufacturing environment. We also discuss our positioning and mounting techniques, which provide high-stability coupling in adverse temperature and vibration environments and are compatible with hermetic packaging.

Diffuse optical imaging is a non-invasive technique that uses near-infrared light to measure changes in brain activity through an array of sensors placed on the surface of the head. Compared to functional MRI, optical imaging has the advantage of being portable while offering the ability to record functional changes in both oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin within the brain at a high temporal resolution. However, the reconstruction of accurate spatial images of brain activity from optical measurements represents an ill-posed and underdetermined problem that requires regularization. These reconstructions benefit from incorporating prior information about the underlying spatial structure and function of the brain. In this work, we describe a novel image reconstruction approach which uses surface-based wavelets derived from structural MRI to incorporate high-resolution anatomical and structural prior information about the brain. This surface-based approach is used to approximate brain activation patterns through the reconstruction and presentation of topographical (two-dimensional) maps of brain activation directly onto the folded surface of the cortex. The set of wavelet coefficients is directly estimated by a truncated singular-value decomposition based pseudo-inversion of the wavelet projection of the optical forward model. We use a reconstruction metric based on Shannon entropy which quantifies the sparse loading of the wavelet coefficients and is used to determine the optimal truncation and regularization of this inverse model. In this work, examples of the performance of this model are illustrated for several cases of numerical simulation and experimental data with comparison to functional magnetic resonance imaging. PMID:19809125

Diffuse optical imaging is a non-invasive technique that uses near-infrared light to measure changes in brain activity through an array of sensors placed on the surface of the head. Compared to functional MRI, optical imaging has the advantage of being portable while offering the ability to record functional changes in both oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin within the brain at a high temporal resolution. However, the reconstruction of accurate spatial images of brain activity from optical measurements represents an ill-posed and underdetermined problem that requires regularization. These reconstructions benefit from incorporating prior information about the underlying spatial structure and function of the brain. In this work, we describe a novel image reconstruction approach which uses surface-based wavelets derived from structural MRI to incorporate high-resolution anatomical and structural prior information about the brain. This surface-based approach is used to approximate brain activation patterns through the reconstruction and presentation of topographical (two-dimensional) maps of brain activation directly onto the folded surface of the cortex. The set of wavelet coefficients is directly estimated by a truncated singular-value decomposition based pseudo-inversion of the wavelet projection of the optical forward model. We use a reconstruction metric based on Shannon entropy which quantifies the sparse loading of the wavelet coefficients and is used to determine the optimal truncation and regularization of this inverse model. In this work, examples of the performance of this model are illustrated for several cases of numerical simulation and experimental data with comparison to functional magnetic resonance imaging. PMID:19809125

Phenibut (3-phenyl-4-aminobutyric acid) is a GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-mimetic psychotropic drug which is clinically used in its racemic form. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of racemic phenibut and its optical isomers in pharmacological tests and GABAB receptor binding studies. In pharmacological tests of locomotor activity, antidepressant and pain effects, S-phenibut was inactive in doses up to 500 mg/kg. In contrast, R-phenibut turned out to be two times more potent than racemic phenibut in most of the tests. In the forced swimming test, at a dose of 100 mg/kg only R-phenibut significantly decreased immobility time. Both R-phenibut and racemic phenibut showed analgesic activity in the tail-flick test with R-phenibut being slightly more active. An GABAB receptor-selective antagonist (3-aminopropyl)(diethoxymethyl)phosphinic acid (CGP35348) inhibited the antidepressant and antinociceptive effects of R-phenibut, as well as locomotor depressing activity of R-phenibut in open field test in vivo. The radioligand binding experiments using a selective GABAB receptor antagonist [3H]CGP54626 revealed that affinity constants for racemic phenibut, R-phenibut and reference GABA-mimetic baclofen were 177+/-2, 92+/-3, 6.0+/-1 microM, respectively. We conclude that the pharmacological activity of racemic phenibut relies on R-phenibut and this correlates to the binding affinity of enantiomers of phenibut to the GABAB receptor. PMID:18275958

Background The absence of rapid tests evaluating antibiotic susceptibility results in the empirical prescription of antibiotics. This can lead to treatment failures due to escalating antibiotic resistance, and also furthers the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. This study reports a rapid optical method to detect β-lactamase and thereby assess activity of β-lactam antibiotics, which could provide an approach for targeted prescription of antibiotics. The methodology is centred on a fluorescence quenching based probe (β-LEAF – β-Lactamase Enzyme Activated Fluorophore) that mimics the structure of β-lactam antibiotics. Results The β-LEAF assay was performed for rapid determination of β-lactamase production and activity of β-lactam antibiotic (cefazolin) on a panel of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC strains and clinical isolates. Four of the clinical isolates were determined to be lactamase producers, with the capacity to inactivate cefazolin, out of the twenty-five isolates tested. These results were compared against gold standard methods, nitrocefin disk test for β-lactamase detection and disk diffusion for antibiotic susceptibility, showing results to be largely consistent. Furthermore, in the sub-set of β-lactamase producers, it was demonstrated and validated that multiple antibiotics (cefazolin, cefoxitin, cefepime) could be assessed simultaneously to predict the antibiotic that would be most active for a given bacterial isolate. Conclusions The study establishes the rapid β-LEAF assay for β-lactamase detection and prediction of antibiotic activity using S. aureus clinical isolates. Although the focus in the current study is β-lactamase-based resistance, the overall approach represents a broad diagnostic platform. In the long-term, these studies form the basis for the development of assays utilizing a broader variety of targets, pathogens and drugs. PMID:24708478